Star Wars: Episode III: The Sith Reign Victorious
by Jedi Master Matt
Summary: The Star Wars saga concludes in this version of Episode III. As corruptness continues in the Republic, the Jedi have formed a plan to end the devestating Clone War. However, their minds have been clouded from the growing darkness within the galaxy...
1. The Fate of the Jedi

PROLOGUE  
  
The Republic is crumbling from war. The devastating CLONE WARS, which are leading more systems to leave the Republic to join the Confederation of Independent Systems, are nearing an end, but have eliminated thousands of Jedi across the galaxy. Due to these circumstances, Supreme Chancellor Palpatine has been declared Emperor, hoping to bring peace and prosperity back to the Republic and the galaxy, while the few remaining Jedi are dying on the battlefields. Obsessed for control of the galaxy, Count Dooku and Sith Master, Darth Sidious, have secretly corrupted the Senate into breaking apart to join the Separatist Movement and leave doom resting on the edge of the galaxy.  
  
CHAPTER I  
  
The deepness of space lay quietly until a solar sailor flew by. It flew toward a very large ship known as the Destroyer and closed its sails. The sleek ship shook a bit as it was pulled into the massive ship's magnetic field. It approached an opening and landed in a hanger bay. The hanger was large with battle droids marching toward the landed ship. The few dozen battle droids saluted as the ramp opened and revealed a cloaked figure. He was a tall and strongly built man with a hood covering his head. His black cape floated behind him as he walked through the formation of battle droids. At the end of the formation stood a group of creatures. Among these creatures were Nute Gunray of the Trade Federation, Shu Mai of the Commerce Guild, Passel Argente of the Corporate Alliance, San Hill of the Intergalactic Banking Clan, and Wat Tambor of the Techno Union. The five of them bowed as the cloaked man approached them. "Please, please, my friends," the cloaked man said, "there is no need for this homage." The leaders rose as Nute Gunray asked, "How did the Senate handle the situation on Ithor?" He was referring to the Battle of Ithor, which was the most devastating battle of the Clone Wars for the Republic. "They are handling it surprisingly well, Viceroy," responded the cloaked man. "But no worry. Due to more groups joining the CIS and the death of Jango Fett, the Republic is being forced to terminate the cloning facilities on Kamino." "I knew it would come to this," commented Wat Tambor. "Don't be too proud," responded the cloaked man. "The Emperor has formed recruiting agencies throughout the galaxy for the Republic's new army." "However, they will never be as precise or accurate as the clone troopers were," added Passel Argente. "You have a point there," the cloaked man observed. "I have also received word of a secret operation planned by Senator Organa and the few remaining Jedi that shall 'bring us to order'." "What is it?" asked San Hill. "Let's just say," answered the cloaked man, "we'll be ready for them." "Ready for who?" asked Shu Mai. "Is it Jedi? I have had enough of those vermin interfering with our business. We would have complete control over the galaxy by now if they wouldn't interfere on the battlefields. " "Don't worry my friend," said the figure as he removed his hood, revealing himself as Count Dooku. "Once our weapon is complete, we shall crush what remains of the Republic. And when that time comes the Jedi will be no more. Now come, we have much to discuss." The Sith walked with his fellow dignitaries out of the hanger.  
  
CHAPTER II  
  
The Jedi Temple looked the same as it always had on the outside: beautiful architecture and ships coming and going all around it. However, the inside was completely different. Of the two hundred Jedi that used to study and train in the temple, fewer than one hundred remained. Due to these deaths, the temple seemed darker and gloomier. Of the Jedi Council, only four remained: Masters Yoda, Mace Windu, Plo Koon, and Knight Ki-Adi-Mundi. All four of them but Yoda had done their service on the battlefields. The three of them fought side by side on Geonosis, and had fought together in many battles ever since. Yoda's great ability with the Force allowed him to remain in the Jedi Temple and focus his mind on the Senate. Occasionally, he would go to the Senate and watch Senators argue back and forth. Those that usually started the arguments were members of the Coalition to Protect the Republic. Senator Bail Organa of Alderaan and Senator Jar Jar Binks of Naboo, who had not seen eye to eye with the newly declared Emperor, formed this committee. The four remaining Jedi Council members were sitting in their chairs in the chamber. No one said a word until the doors opened to reveal Obi-Wan Kenobi. He had the same build he always did. However, the main difference between himself now to two years ago was his hair. Instead of his usual long hair, he decided to go back to the short apprentice style. It was shorter than it had been when he was Qui-Gon Jinn's apprentice, but it still reminded him of his training days, even though it was a bit grayer. The stress of the war and not being to be able to be with his apprentice was the fault for the graying. As he walked in, Mace Windu stood up and greeted his friend. "Obi-Wan," began Mace, "it's great to have you back." "Thank you," Obi-Wan responded. "Being with my fellow Jedi is much better than leading on the fields." "General Kenobi," Yoda began, "Helpful you have been. A true leader you are." "Thank you," Obi-Wan responded again. "Your apprentice is doing quite well," said Ki-Adi-Mundi. "The Emperor has mentioned him quite often during Senate hearings." "I haven't heard," said Obi-Wan. "What has he done now?" "His piloting skills proved very helpful at the Battle of Ithor," answered Plo Koon. "He is actually on his way to Coruscant now to receive an award." "Obi-Wan," began Mace, "we are asking him to assist us with the mission tomorrow." Obi-Wan's eyebrows rose slightly upon hearing this news. He turned away from his fellow Jedi and stared out the window. "Are you sure he's ready?" Obi-Wan asked. "Anakin has proved not to be the most patient." "Patience, Anakin unfortunately lacks," Yoda answered. "Proved himself worthy on the battlefield, he has. Too much proof even for an apprentice." "But Master Yoda," Obi-Wan began, "Anakin has totally gone against the Jedi Order. His marriage, not completing the trials, lack of---" "Obi-Wan," said Mace, "trust in him. He is still your Apprentice." "That is true," Obi-Wan responded. "Maybe you four could teach him something when we're on the mission." "Decided not go, I have," commented Yoda. "Meditate strongly I need to, on the Republic and this still unknown lord of the Sith." "I'm sure Anakin will be glad to see you, Obi-Wan," Plo Koon said. "I haven't seen him for almost two years," said Obi-Wan. "I don't know what he's gotten into, but I do hope he's changed."  
  
CHAPTER III  
  
Approaching Coruscant, a Jedi Starfighter barrel rolled at tremendous speeds. A few ships moved out of the way as the fighter flew into the Coruscant atmosphere. Behind the controls was Anakin Skywalker. The young Jedi had grown up in the past two years since he had last seen his master. Muscles had grown larger and the face that once showed an innocent, young boy, was now that of an adult warrior. The fact that he had been fighting without Obi-Wan still didn't keep him from thinking about the Jedi Master whenever he relied on his Jedi instincts. Obi-Wan's messages and teachings stuck into the back of Anakin's skull, despite his master having to repeat them over and over. The Jedi Council was very lenient on Anakin's decisions with the Jedi Order. He remembered it very clearly when he stood before the four seated Jedi and Obi-Wan. They gave him the decision to live his own life during the Clone Wars. If he wanted to stay married he could. If he wanted to separate from Obi-Wan and work on his own he could. If he didn't want to fight he could. But he did fight. He fought in so many battles he couldn't remember them all. At times he was sad not to have Obi-Wan there to correct him or give him guidance, but Anakin knew that he wanted to fight on his own. He wanted to prove to the Jedi Council that he could do anything without taking the trials. The Council knew during these desperate times that it wouldn't matter what Anakin did. They needed him to fight any way he could. His marriage to Padme was a different story. During his meeting with the Council, the young Jedi admitted it. Surprisingly to Anakin, Obi-Wan did not look shocked at this news. He had always known of the love Anakin had for Padme. Contrary to Obi-Wan's reaction, the rest of the Council did not find it acceptable. Of course, anger was not shown, but rather disappointment. Anakin left the Jedi Temple that day with great confidence. He knew that he could finally prove to them that he was ready to become a full-fledged Jedi. Anakin looked out his cockpit window to see the Jedi Temple. The sun was just coming over the horizon, for Anakin had to squint at the enormous Jedi Freighter that was landing at the Temple.  
  
Coruscant had been growing darker ever since Chancellor Valorum was voted out of power twelve years ago. However, the past two years brought a shadow over the metropolis. Crime and pollution increased, but the decreasing number of Jedi in the Temple left the entire planet in a darker tone. Anakin could see that this was true as he approached the Emperor's office. It was in the penthouse of a building connected to the Senate hall. Palpatine had aged terribly since Anakin had last seen him. His eyes had sunk farther back into his head and wrinkles and creases covered his face. His hair was much thinner as well. The stress of not only leading the planet, but almost every planet of the galaxy had done this to him. But Anakin knew that he had strength in him. Whenever he met with him, he felt that he was with someone that could handle any situation. Anakin was very excited to see the man that he considered his second mentor. "Artoo?" asked Anakin. In the back of the starfighter the familiar head of R2-D2 turned to Anakin and responded with a beep. "Artoo, prepare for landing." The original Jedi Starfighter had an astromech droid hardwired into it, but Anakin did some modifications with his and now his own personal droid could sit behind him. A beep and two whistles reached Anakin's ears and he looked at his translation screen on the dashboard. "Sorry about that back there, Artoo. Just bringing back some memories from the battles."  
  
A voice came over the speaker to tell Anakin to land on Platform A- 1138. This surprised Anakin, due to the fact that only close friends of the Emperor were allowed to land this close to his office. Anakin landed the ship and began to climb out. As he did he looked into the cockpit at the picture of Padme. It was taken a few days after their wedding on the beach they live on. After the funeral, which was after the weeding, Anakin thought. He shook the memory of the funeral out of his head and focused on the days after it. Anakin still remembered everything about that day: the climate, the taste of the water, the warmth of the sand. However, the following week Anakin reported to Coruscant to meet with the Jedi Council. Padme didn't want him to go, but he knew he had to. He knew he had to stand up for himself. Taking one last look at the picture, Anakin climbed down the ladder to the platform. At the door to greet him was Sly Moore, the Emperor's assistant. Her baldhead and piercing eyes always haunted Anakin, but he gave it no thought today. His mind was on the fact that he was to receive an award; the award that he had been waiting for, ever since he began fighting in the Clone Wars. As he approached the Emperor's assistant, R2 began to follow. "Your." began Sly, searching for the right word. ".friend will have to wait out here. The Emperor does not allow outside intelligence into his office." Anakin never remembered having to leave R2 outside before, but didn't want to argue at a time like this. "Artoo, you better wait out here," he said. "We don't want any trouble." He then gave a quick wink to the blue droid. It responded with a low curse beep toward Sly and proceeded back to the ship as Anakin entered the building.  
  
The office was no longer a comforting colorful room, but rather a throne room that matched the situation in the galaxy. The black walls and floors replaced the red carpeting in the Emperor's original office building, and the large round table in the center, with tall chairs, represented the original padded furniture with the insignia for the Republic carved into the back of them. Lights were inserted into the wall, casting shadows into all corners of the large room. When Anakin approached the door to the office he took a deep breath and was led in by Sly Moore. The lights in the room were not turned on, but the rising sun began to produce a pink glow to the room. A figure stood by one of the three enormous windows facing the Senate building and the rest of the area. "Your Excellency, Anakin Skywalker," Sly said smoothly. Anakin walked up the first short flight of stairs to the round business table and slowed down as he started climbing the second short flight of stairs. What worried him was not the grand, dark room, but the fact that as he approached the Emperor's desk, waiting for him to turn around with a large smile on his face, greeting his presence, he instead remained in the stance he was in, with his back to the two. "Your Excellency?" Sly asked. "Please leave us," came a voice from the unmoving figure. Sly turned to leave, but took one last stare at the Jedi. As she walked past the Emperor's two red armored guards at the end of the room, they turned and followed. When the door closed and the Emperor still didn't say anything, Anakin was worried. What was going on? he thought. Is he angry with me? "Anakin," the figure began. "Anakin. Anakin. Anakin. Do you know why I called you from your fighting?" "I was told I was to be awarded," answered Anakin. "Indeed you shall," responded the figure. "Indeed you shall." A chill ran through Anakin's body as he heard that last line. The Emperor never acted like this before. He was usually glad to see Anakin and awaited him with positive feelings. But this time seemed different to Anakin. "Are you all right, your Excellency?" asked Anakin. A moment or two passed, until a voice responded, "No, I'm not. I am extremely proud to present you with this." The figure turned towards Anakin with a big smile on his face and a wooden box in his hands. The Emperor burst into laughter and so did Anakin. The two approached each other, shook hands, and gave each other a pat on the back. "I was wondering if you'd be frightened by my little act," responded Palpatine. "What was that all about?" asked Anakin. "It's a new strategy I am working on while I am in the Senate. As you know many Senators are very impatient on the progress of the war. True it is nearing an end, but those impatient ones feel it is necessary to attack me as a group, so I am working on new.a new approach to convince them to not act like such rebels." "I am sorry to hear that," responded Anakin. "No need to worry, Anakin," reassured Palpatine. "I called you here for a reason." At that point, the Emperor opened the box in his hands and presented a medal. It was polished as bright as could be, and even though the light shined in his eyes, Anakin could do nothing, but stare at it. "Oh, your Excellency," began Anakin. "I don't know what to say." "Don't, Anakin," commanded Palpatine. "But please, do sit." Anakin obeyed and was handed the box. He opened it and took a quick glance at the medal, which had the inscription For those with heroic acts, comes great power. He smiled and closed the box. He hoped that that would come true for him some day. "How is you marriage, Anakin?" asked Palpatine. Even though they have discussed this before, Anakin felt that it was quite a strange moment to be asking. "I couldn't imagine it being any better," he lied. The Emperor just stared at him, knowing he was lying. Anakin then set the box down and leaned forward, "Well, to tell you the truth, I miss her." Palpatine just stared at him. He continued, "When I left her four months ago, we had a hard time saying good-bye. She had been sick for the past month or two, and I did everything I could to comfort her. When I was called to the Jedi Council right after we were married, I was nervous to go. But I realized that I would do what I wanted to do. If they forbid my marriage, so be it. In the end I could fight as a Jedi in the Clone Wars and remain married to Padme. When I told Padme about it, she was happy. Happy until the Republic called me. Oh, don't get me wrong, I am filled with pride to serve my Republic, but at the time it wasn't pride I was feeling. "She didn't want me to leave, but I had to. I had to prove the Council wrong. I had to prove everyone wrong. I had to prove a Jedi could fight and love. And I have. I hope now to return to Naboo, with your gift, to show her that I did prove them wrong." Palpatine stared at Anakin, then quickly got up and walked right up to him. "Anakin, the love you share with Padme is the strongest love I have ever seen between two people," he said. "And as much as I care for you and your wife, I am asking you for a favor. Well, more your Jedi friends are wanting a favor." Anakin's eyes opened in interest at the sound of the Jedi needing a favor from him. "The Jedi spoke to me about a mission they are conducting in a few hours. The mission is to bring Count Dooku and his pitiful band to order in the Galactic Senate. I disagree with the mission completely and am totally against it, unless Count Dooku will be captured" Hate and anger began to seep through Anakin's body when he heard Dooku's name. Anakin only thought of Dooku as the ex-Jedi who was responsible for Anakin's robotic arm and the deaths of thousands of Jedi. Ever since his fateful duel with him, all Anakin could picture about Dooku was revenge. "If you feel you can still serve your Republic and your fellow Jedi, then agree to this mission. There is a hearing in the Jedi Temple in a few hours. If you do not accept it, then I wish you good luck with your journey and life on Naboo, my friend." Anakin bit his lower lip in decision. He did make a promise to Padme that he would return after his last mission. "Your Excellency," began Anakin as he stood up, "I am terribly sorry, but I kept a promise. It's not that I don't hate Dooku, I do, but." Palpatine put a hand on Anakin's shoulder and soothed, "I know. I know."  
  
CHAPTER IV  
  
As the sun created a mid-morning cast to the Jedi Temple, the last Jedi arrived in the meeting room where the briefing for capturing Count Dooku was about to begin. About sixty Jedi from around the galaxy were sitting in the room talking to each other. These Jedi were the best of the best. Great pilots, strong warriors, and brave Jedi sat in the room. While the group was discussing, on stage sat Mace Windu, Yoda, Plo Koon, Ki-Adi-Mundi, Obi- Wan Kenobi, and Bail Organa. Obi-Wan was staring off into the crowd, looking for Anakin, but couldn't find him.  
  
Anakin's Jedi Starfighter was leaving the Coruscant atmosphere. R2 beeped and whistled, as Anakin looked at the translation. "No, nothing is bothering me, Artoo," he responded. Anakin then eyed a Hyperspace ring floating that he could use to get home. "Nothing at all."  
  
Obi-Wan gave up looking for Anakin in the crowd. So many of the humans and creatures looked familiar, whether he fought with them or knew them from training in the Temple. He saw fellow Jedi Council members, Saesee Tiin and Shaak Ti, who both stepped down from the Jedi Council a year ago. The two had fought side by side in the Clone Wars, but felt that their role as a Jedi Council member was to serve on Coruscant, not the battlefields. Their only decision was to step down. Obi-Wan turned to look at Mace Windu, who was about to begin the meeting. "The mission we are about to embark on is the most dangerous mission any of us has faced. Bothan spies have delivered information that can save the Republic from falling any farther than it already has. Senator Bail Organa of Alderaan." Mace sat down and Bail approached a control panel. After pressing a few buttons, a hologram of the Destroyer was presented. It slowly spun so the audience could study all parts of it. "The time for our final attack on the CIS has come," he began. "This ship is called the Destroyer. It is a Nova class ship made by Kaut of Kaut Drive Yards. Even though not a member of CIS, Kaut of Kaut is helping to provide ships for them and us as well. Though this ship is the most advanced the Republic has ever seen, it still relies on an energy field powered by the molten lava planet Nkllon. A hologram of the planet replaced the ship. "On this planet lie the CIS's main factories for producing ships, droids, and weapons. Due to the extreme temperature of the planet, all factories are underground. The building producing the shield for the Destroyer lies inside an abandoned volcano located here. Our first strike team will land on the planet and shut down the generator. It should be easy. Information has been given to us that the CIS has begun to move the factories to a different side of the planet, due to the low amounts of ore and other natural resources and numerous lava eruptions on the side they are on. But you should still be careful. When you land you will have an hour to shut down the generator. But once again, it should be easy. The generator is not heavily guarded as most troops are working on digging their way to a different side." The hologram enlarged the surface of the planet as a small mountain came into view. "When shut down, our fighters will move into the ship. From there the extracting of the CIS leaders, Nute Gunray of the Trade Federation, Shu Mai of the Commerce Guild, Passel Argente of the Corporate Alliance, San Hill of the Intergalactic Banking Clan, and Wat Tambor of the Techno Union will commence. They should not be difficult to apprehend. One thing they are all known for is their cowardice, but a team of six Jedi will still be the ones extracting them. All ships that we are flying have a new built in cooling system to protect you from the sun's energy. Pilots will be flying individual restraining ships to put the captured into. The rest of you will be flying Delta 7 Jedi Starfighters and keeping the CIS's new ships off of each other. These ships are a new model called TIEs. Not much is known about them, except that they are extremely fast and are not controlled by droids." He then shut off the hologram and walked back and forth on stage. "As for Count Dooku, who is the leader of this organization, a special Jedi team code named the Golden Five will infiltrate and capture him. They have already been briefed and their team will consist of Masters Windu, Kenobi, Skywalk-" He stopped just then, realizing he was not around, and turned towards Mace Windu and Yoda, who shook their heads to indicate Skywalker was not coming. "Um...Mundi and Koon. Now that the overall message has been explained you are all now to break into your different operation groups. Meeting adjourned." The audience of Jedi stood up and broke into their different groups. On stage the five Jedi and Senator formed a small group huddle. "Where is Anakin?" asked Obi-Wan in slightly worried way. "I don't know," confessed Bail. "I told the Emperor to speak to him about it today." "Eye to eye, you and the Emperor do not always meet, Senator," commented Yoda. Bail just lowered his head realizing that Anakin might not make the mission after all. Obi-Wan walked away from the group and proceeded to the ground floor of the room. Sighing and proceeding towards the door, he realized that at first he was against Anakin's involvement with this mission, that he didn't get to see him. It seemed like it had been forever since Obi-Wan had seen his apprentice. But that didn't matter anymore as the door slid open in front of him. Standing in the opening was a tall, strongly built Jedi, who was completely out of breath. It was Anakin.  
  
CHAPTER V  
  
The two Jedi sat on cargo boxes in the enormous hanger while fellow Jedi moved around, boarding ships and discussing the mission. The hanger was very large, with a slightly low ceiling and pillars here and there. The ships were perfectly organized with the Jedi Starfighters at the front of hanger and the restraining ships in the rear. Electric sparks could be heard here and there as machines were making late modifications on some ships. "Anakin, I just can't believe I haven't seen you in two years," said Obi-Wan. "I know, Master. I have missed your words of wisdom." Obi-Wan chuckled, "Anakin, I hear that you might not need them. The council believes you're mature enough to be on our infiltration team." Anakin smiled at the news again. He was so happy things were going his way. However, Padme was still on his mind. He had promised her that Ithor would be his last battle. If she heard that he would be one of the Jedi leading the most dangerous battle of the Clone Wars, she would never forgive him. Anakin just sat there staring into space, thinking of his wife. "Anakin?" Obi-Wan asked. "Anakin?" Anakin shook his head and looked at his master, "Sorry. I am worried about Padme." Obi-Wan frowned at the mention of a Jedi's wife. Not the fact that a Jedi is married, but his apprentice went against the Jedi Code. "What's wrong with her?" "She doesn't want me to fight," he answered. "She had a hard time getting over the battle of Geonosis. That was an experience she didn't want me to relive. I promised I would be coming home, but then I heard of this mission. I just couldn't refuse this opportunity. However, when this is over, and that fool Dooku is suffering, I'm calling it quits." "What then, Anakin?" asked Obi-Wan. "I don't know," he answered. "I do know that I will miss fighting for the Republic." "We are grateful Anakin," responded Obi-Wan. "Your skills in the way of the Force are exceeding great. However, when we're up there, I don't want you to do anything crazy. Remember, you are still my apprentice." Anakin understood and nodded to Obi-Wan. The two got up and walked toward their ships. Anakin said hello to fellow Jedi that he hadn't seen in years. As the Jedi reach their ships, Anakin turned toward his master, "When we get back, boy do I have stories to tell you." "I'm sure you do," remarked Obi-Wan. "May the Force be with you." "May the Force be with you as well," responded Anakin. The two looked at each other and climbed the ladders to their ships.  
  
CHAPTER VI  
  
The sun just broke over the lake's horizon on Naboo. It cast a golden glow to everything, including the bedroom of Anakin and Padme. The white, silky curtains were blowing gently and birds were chirping outside the window. A figure in a white nightgown lied in bed with the sheets pulled over to its side. The side next to it was bare, with the sheets unwrinkled and the pillow perfectly plump. The figure's hand rubbed the empty spot next to it. From the window the sky could be seen as dark clouds slowly began to form. As the clouds formed the wind grew stronger and began to blow very strongly into the bedroom. Rain began to pour and as the curtains whipped around a big bolt of lightning struck a nearby tree and it burst into flames. The figure woke up and sat straight in bed. "Anakin!" Padme screamed. A low rumble of thunder followed her scream. She looked outside to see a tree burning and an R2 unit putting out the fire. Padme got out of bed with a worried and scared look on her face for her husband.  
  
A few hours later Padme was sitting at a table. It was pouring outside. Her breakfast was untouched as she stirred the bowl with her spoon, staring into space. Anakin was the number one thing on her mind ever since he left. She didn't want him to go, to fight. She wanted him to stay with her, and now she felt that that might not happen. Padme didn't even notice her handmaiden, Dorme, come into the room. As Padme sat staring into space, Dorme walked up and took the untouched dishes into the other room. When she came back she put her hand on Padme's shoulder. When this happened, Padme began to cry. "He's not coming back. Something's going to happen." She put her head in her hands, gently sobbing. Dorme responded by hugging Padme. She knew Padme had been losing hope these past days since Anakin had not communicated with her. Padme sat there, hugging Dorme, as it thundered outside. Padme decided there was only one thing she could do to see Anakin. "I'm going to Coruscant," she strongly stated. "I want to know where Anakin is." "M'lady," began Dorme, "I'm sure Anakin is-" "No," interrupted Padme, "He is not all right. Something is going to happen. I don't know what, but I feel it will." Dorme just stood there staring at Padme, who was very serious about what she said.  
  
CHAPTER VII  
  
A strange blue energy field covered the Jedi's ships as they traveled at light speed to their destination. The dozens of starfighters were organized in attack formation, with the cargo transports behind them. Due to the limited weaponry, the cargo transports were to remain back until the word was given for them to approach the Destroyer. Fifteen Jedi were onboard each of the five transports with ten holding cells. Only one would be used on each ship. On Mace Windu's view screen, the planet Nkllon came into view. "Pull out of hyperspace," he ordered. Upon his words the fighters and other ships stopped abruptly and returned to normal speed. "Move into attack position." The fighters' sides pushed back and the once peaceful looking ships were now fully armed and ready for battle.  
  
In the Destroyer, it remained very still and quiet. The halls were very clean and empty, except for a few battle droids and astromech units moving around. In one of the thousands of halls a room contained the leaders of the CIS, who were conducting a very important meeting. Count Dooku sat as he always did at the head of the table with Nute Gunray next to him, followed by Shu Mai, Passel Argente, San Hill, and Wat Tambor. As Dooku spoke, ships could be seen off in the distance through an enormous window behind him. "As you know," spoke Dooku, "the Emperor has taken new steps in the production of the Clone Army. The Kaminoins are rather displeased with the turnouts of the recent clone troopers. They have to recycle the DNA used from the dead bounty hunter Jango Fett. It is a mess, but I feel when our factories have been moved to the side of Nkllon that has more ore, we shall take the Republic and crush it, as we have always dreamed to." The other dignitaries looked around the table at each other smiling. "There is something rather interesting about the Fett "family" that I have found out. Jango's cloned "son", Boba, has been train-." A blaring siren cut off Dooku. Nute Gunray was the first to jump up yelling, "We're being attacked!" Dooku just smiled at his cowardly friend, "Sit down, dear Gunray. They have just entered our security field. This is the moment, ladies and gentlemen, that I have been waiting for." "What do you plan to do?" asked Shu Mai. "Watch," answered Dooku, as he pressed a glowing green button in front of him. A buzzing noise was produced. "Yes, sir?" an alien voice asked. "Are they ready?" Dooku asked. "Two hundred are ready to deploy," answered the voice. "Oh, not that much for now," replied Dooku. "Let's go with sixty. That should prove entertaining." He pressed the green button and smiled at the figures around the table.  
  
The space around the Destroyer lay empty, except for the approaching Jedi ships. Anakin knew that something was amiss here. Never had he experienced a time where he could get as close as this to a ship without any defense presented. Tuning into the Force, he felt a trap. "Look alive. I feel a disturbance in the Force." "I feel it, as well," agreed Obi-Wan. He did feel that Anakin might be a little too confident. But right as Obi-Wan thought that, a loud screaming sound came from outside the cockpit and dozens of ships came pouring out of the Destroyer. They were small, but fast. They had two square sides and a sphere in the center. "I guess those are the new ships," Plo stated. The Jedi watched as the TIEs dove all over the place, blasting their way through the bunch. "Look alive!" shouted Mace. Then all of the Jedi went into battle. The squadron split right down the center as a group of TIEs flew through it. From there the Jedi went their own ways. The Jedi's ability to use the Force to tune into the pilots' minds proved helpful. By reading their minds, it was easier to tell what move would be made. Whereas the Droid Starfighters had minds of their own. Obi-Wan flew with Mace behind him as the two took out two TIEs. As Obi-Wan turned to separate from Mace he found three TIEs heading straight for him. He quickly banked down and the three other ships quickly followed. Obi-Wan dodged the blast made by the TIEs, but then caught himself heading closer towards the Destroyer. He spun around to find the ships heading right at him. Just then, a Jedi Starfighter shot the three in lightning speed and pulled right next to Obi-Wan. As Obi-Wan squinted he could see that it was Anakin. A smile and a wave proved that Anakin thought he was the better pilot. The fighter sped off with R2 beeping when a group of TIEs headed straight for him. Anakin kept the path he was on, heading for the line of ships. It turned into a game of chicken, until Anakin unleashed fire on the line hitting each other directly. His starfighter flew right through the debris as R2 gave out another whimper.  
  
Inside the Destroyer, Count Dooku and the CIS leaders stood before the enormous window, watching the battle outside. Starfighters were exploding left and right as the TIEs were outnumbering the remaining ships. Much to Dooku's delight, he let out a little chuckle. On the desk, a button began flashing. Dooku walked over and pressed it. A hologram is produced of a droid. "Count Dooku," started the droid, "current status." "Go ahead," returned Dooku. "Relocation of droid factories on schedule. Will be completed in twenty- four hours." "Excellent," responded Dooku. "And the Jedi?" "Jedi Transportation ship, Alpha R-23, landed zero point five kilometers of shield generator. Three teams of sixteen Jedi each approaching from North East, East, and North West. We'll be ready, sir." The droid then saluted his master. Dooku returned by shutting off the hologram and moved to the window to watch the view.  
  
On Nkllon, Jedi Strike Red moved behind an enormous boulder. Over the rock lied the shield generator. Outside of it stood a platoon of twenty super battle droids and thirty battle droids. The leader of Jedi Red was Kit Fitso. He had fought well in the Battle of Geonosis and proved to be a great leader when infiltrating. The fifteen other Jedi with him he didn't know. However, they had become great friends in the little time that they had known each other. For some strange reason, Kit thought this looked like a little too easy. He had broken into many more guarded places than this. "Keep your heads up, everyone," advised Kit. At that word, he looked over the huge rock to see the other Jedi leaders in their spots. At that word he pulled out a grenade and hurled it over the rock to the group of battle droids. After a clunking sound was heard followed by two more came the explosions. The explosions eliminated all of the droids. At that point the three teams left their hiding spots to meet in the middle of the rubble. "Are you ready?" asked a fellow Jedi to Kit. "Yeah," he responded. "Everyone knows what to do?" The fellow Jedi nodded. "Let's go!" Kit shouted as the Jedi stormed into the cave.  
  
Back in space the Jedi Starfighters thinned out as more and more TIE fighters poured out of the main ship. They blasted their way through the Jedi and seemed not to be afraid of being destroyed. From the sixty starfighters, only nine remained. Mace, Obi-Wan, Ki-Adi, Plo, Anakin, and four other Jedi did their best to defend themselves from the TIEs. Anakin had been doing great even though the outnumbered Jedi were suffering. As the nine Jedi formed to charge the TIEs, the enemy ships were nowhere to be found. "Where are they?" asked Ki-Adi. "I don't know," answered Mace. The Jedi flew closer towards the Destroyer searching for the enemy when their ships shook and uncontrollably headed towards it. Despite fighting for the controls, Anakin couldn't pull his ship out of the path it was heading. "Artoo, what's happening?" he asked the droid. Obi-Wan responded, "Magnetic field. There's nothing we can do." The Jedi sat back to wait boarding the Destroyer.  
  
CHAPTER VIII  
  
On Coruscant, the Senate was in session and had never been so heated before. Over the past two years, more and more Senators had left the Senate to join Count Dooku's group. Many had left for all the same reason: the Emperor was simply incompetent and the Republic is going nowhere but down. When faced with other Senators approaching this issue, the Emperor had dodged it by support of his friends. Certain Senators always had faith in Palpatine and they were the ones that met with him every so often in order to handle the "situation" in the Republic. The other Senators were enemies of Palpatine. Even though there were only about twelve or so Senators that formed the Coalition to Protect the Republic, the Emperor still felt them as a threat to him. Bail Organa and Jar Jar Binks grew apart from the friendship they had with Palpatine before the Clone Wars began. "Don't you realize that nothing has been done to help the Jedi?" Bail addressed the Senate, but was really aiming at Palpatine. "Of course the clone troopers have helped immensely on the battlefield, but our own 'leader' has made it clear that the Jedi are in fact not helping and that they have been the fault of most losses." Palpatine had been silent for long enough. "You do realize, my fellow Senator," began Palpatine. "that I am not against the Jedi, but rather their choices to protect the Republic. As it is known, the Jedi are the protectors of peace in the galaxy. They are not warriors, and I repeat, they are not warriors. How long should we wait for the Jedi to be wiped out completely? A month? A week? A few hours?" At that last comment, the Senate began whispering to each other. "Yes, my fellow Senators, yes," continued Palpatine. "Your fellow friend thought it necessary to been the brains for the Jedi's last mission; the mission that would bring the Republic back to order. I am speaking of the capturing and trialing of Count Dooku." Gasps went from all around the Senate, for no one except Bail and Palpatine knew of this outside the Jedi Order. "It is true," followed Bail, "but I hid it from you all for protection for the Jedi. For years they have protected us all and now it is their most desperate hour. We need them and they need us. Why not help them? I fought with them at the Battle of Ithor. I watched as they died right next to me. Why should I sit back, like the Emperor, and let it continue. The Jedi shouldn't stop their involvement in the war, but strengthen it. And they can only do that with the Republic's strategic planning and-" "What are you proposing Senator?" interrupted Palpatine. Bail sighed and announced, "I am proposing that we begin funding for the Jedi." As he stated this, the Senate broke out in boos and hisses. As he shouted over the Senators that were booing, Mas Ammeda stood up to call order, but Palpatine's hand on his shoulder told him to let the anger and chaos continue.  
  
CHAPTER IX  
  
The nine Jedi Starfighters glided slowly toward one of the Destroyer's main hangers. A siren in the background blared to alert the ship of the Jedi's arrival. As the ships pulled into the hanger dozens of battle droids marched into formation, much like when Count Dooku arrived, except their weapons were drawn and pointed toward the oncoming ships. When the ships landed and the Jedi got out, they all met in a huddle before a platoon of battle droids came their way. "What I want is for everyone to remember the mission," orders Mace Windu. As he says this he glances quickly at Anakin. "Also, we need to split up. The Golden Five will find Dooku and somehow get him to Coruscant. You other four will stay with the ships. If anyone messes with them, defend them at all costs." At that order the four other Jedi nodded and moved into their guarding places. "For the rest of us, we will complete this mission. But remember, no violence. We need to extract Dooku without creating a lot of ruckus." Obi-Wan turned to look at Anakin who was facing the approaching battle droids. Anakin glared hatefully toward the droids, and Obi-Wan put a hand on his Apprentice. "Patience, Anakin," he stated. "Patience." Anakin responded with a glare that slightly frightened his Master. When the twenty droids arrived, they escorted the six Jedi through a door and down a forever-stretching hallway.  
  
About ten minutes later, the Jedi finally arrived at a large, thick door guarded by four super battle droids. The droids stood perfectly straight and silent. As the Jedi walked in front of them, they put their arms down and marched away with the other droids. As the six Jedi stood in the hallway in front of the enormous door, Anakin spoke first. "What is this?" he asks. "We're just standing here like ducks, waiting for them to make their move." The desperate Jedi caught the attention of the impatient, young Jedi and Mace responded. "Anakin, just wait," he said. "I was expecting this." "Expecting what?" asked Obi-Wan. At that moment, the doors quickly opened to reveal a table with the leaders of the CIS seated around it. They all sat smiling at the Jedi. At the head of the table stood the powerful Count Dooku. When Anakin saw Dooku he took a step forward with his hand on his lightsaber. When he did this, Obi-Wan put his hand on him to calm him. When Anakin did not respond, Obi-Wan commanded, "Please, Anakin." He let go of his lightsaber and took a step back. "Please, Jedi, sit," Dooku said. "Your presence is most welcomed." When the Jedi did not sit, Dooku nodded at his seated guests. The leaders stood up and walked out of the room, whispering to each other about what might happen to the Jedi. After the leaders left, the Jedi could do nothing but stare at the man responsible for all of the dead Jedi in the galaxy.  
  
CHAPTER X  
  
Back on Coruscant the sky was filled with the daily lunch traffic as a Naboo ship flew by. It sped through traffic, searching for a landing space at the Senate building. The Senate was filled with people coming and going as the heated hearing had lasted for the past couple of hours. Palpatine and Bail had been arguing back and forth with little assistance from other Senators. Neither had broken a sweat, for there had been times like this, but not as bad. Reporters from different new sources had been coming and going, writing articles about how this was the out of control an argument had been in Senate history.  
  
The Naboo ship found a space close to the Senate and landed in it. Inside the ship arguments were building just like in the Senate. Padme and her handmaiden Dorme had had a heated argument before leaving for Coruscant and had hardly spoken the entire trip. As soon as the ship landed, Dorme warned Padme that she feels she is in danger. Padme responded, "I don't care! I want to find Anakin!" She stormed out of the ship leaving Dorme standing watching her walk towards the Senate. "Take Threepio to the apartment!" After that, she stormed off hoping to find answers. Dorme responded simply, "Be careful."  
  
The Senate was just as Padme had remembered it. The statues of past Chancellors, the position that had been replaced with the title Emperor, stood near the Senate. When Padme heard of the news that Palpatine was ranked to the position of Emperor, she was very happy for him. She knew that he had the patience to guide the galaxy in the correct direction during the CIS movement. However, through the two years of the Clone Wars, she was beginning to lose faith in him. He promised to handle the CIS in the first six months at the most, and it has now been over two years. She sometimes felt that he was somewhat corrupt; for there were many Senators that had disagreed with him, but then don't a few days later. But what even worried her more was that Anakin told her that the two had become great friends. During his hologram messages to her, he always praised him, saying his guidance and leadership was helping him fight his best. Before Anakin left four months ago, he stayed with Padme for a few weeks. During that time, she found him writing letters to him saying how he can't wait to fight again. That he couldn't wait to leave his wife again, risking his life for the Republic. After leaving he sent Padme a few holograms here and there to comfort her and tell her where he is. She saved all of those and kept them recorded in her bedside table. She looked at them everyday, hoping that Anakin would return in her arms. However, then she had hope, but now that hope was draining, for Anakin was to return quite a while ago and she hadn't heard anything. She thought that the Senate was the only place she could go to find her old friends. It would be great to see Jar Jar and Bail again, Padme thought. They were the only ones that gave her comfort when she was fighting the approval of the Republic's army those years ago. She would really love to know how Bail's committee was fairing, due to the numerous amounts of anonymous Senators joining it. Padme always knew Bail could accomplish much. He was a good friend. When she climbed up the front staircase of the Senate, she saw the enormous statues holding their staffs, acting like the guardians of where she was going. They stood taller than she remembered. She also never remembered the walk being this long. She was usually dropped right at the building, rather than have to walk this great distance. But while walking, the familiar faces of the people to the right and left of her came back. She saw old friends, that she thought were long gone. Such as Grehr Hehey who was nearly 345 years old. He had watched the Senate hearings almost everyday taking his own personal notes. Padme always wondered what he did with those notes. As he passed by, she could smell his old clothes and hear his dry breathing. She wished there were more people that were old and wise and knew what was going on in the Senate.  
  
When Padme finally reached the Senate Building itself, she found herself staring at two red guards. She was used to seeing the traditional blue guards, but these seemed very familiar. As she approached them closer she remembered that they were in Palpatine's office. They were his royal guards, she remembered. The guards stood still when Padme stood in front of them. They would not let her pass. As Padme began to question, a recording came from above her, "Welcome, to the Galactic Senate, home of the galaxy's finest Senators. Due to numerous threats on the almighty Emperor Palpatine, security measures have increased greatly to insure the safety of the great protector of the galaxy and his fellow Senators. Please place your ID card into the present slot or type in your eight digit code." At that last request, Padme panicked. She couldn't remember her eight-digit code, and it was quite a while ago that she threw away her card. Being careful not to arouse suspicion from the guards, she began typing what she thought was the correct code. 8-3-4-2-5-1-1-4, she typed. A loud buzz and a voice followed, "Please type correct code for fingerprints." Fingerprints? Padme thought. She looked at the keypad to realize that when typing in the code, her fingerprints were being taken. 2-6-2-2-8-5-1-9, she typed. A buzz. 9-2-6-3-1-6-6-7, she typed. A buzz. 1-4-3-6-2-7-1-3, she typed. A buzz. At that moment, the red guards were getting suspicious and one began to approach Padme. Upon seeing this, Padme concentrated on that long forgotten code. 1-4-1-2-1-5-1-5, she typed. A ding. Relief ran through Padme's body when hearing that noise. "Welcome, to the Galactic Senate," said the voice. Padme walked through the now unlocked doors and searched for someone who could help her find her husband.  
  
Meanwhile, Bail was further explaining his plan to a partly angered Senate. Since the beginning of the Senate hearing, sides had obviously been formed: those who side with assistance to the Jedi and those who believe they should not have affiliation with the Republic. Bail's side, those who should aide the Jedi, was quite small compared to Palpatine's. Of course those who were members of the Coalition to Protect the Republic were siding with Bail, but also a few dozen joined as well. The sides were looking like 1:5. Stressed out from the bantering back and forth, Senator Orn Free Taa left his pod and walked out into the hallway. There he took a heavy breath and began to walk away from his pod entrance. He didn't travel far until he saw a familiar face. "M'lady!" he shouted. Padme heard this and ran towards the Senator. She didn't recognize the voice at first, but did the fat, blue body. Padme hugged Orn Free and a handful of memories came back into her head from when the two worked together before the Clone Wars. As she pulled away, Padme noticed that the Twi'lek looked much, much older from two years ago. The stress put on his out-of-shape body must be tremendous, Padme thought. Sweat covered his face and the heavy breathing told Padme that he was hurting. "What are you doing here?" Orn Free asked. "I've come back to find out where Anakin is," she answered. "My husband." "Ah, yes," he responded. "The great Anakin Skywalker. He has been mentioned quite a few times by the Emperor." Padme was very surprised by this. She asked, "Well, what did he say about him?" Orn Free looked up into space, thinking of an answer. "Something like, 'Jedi have been destroying the Republic's chance to win this war, except for one Anakin Skywalker'. Of course then, people started talking. Well, he is married to a former Senator." Padme could not respond to that. Why would Palpatine speak so highly of Anakin, she thought. "I've heard, literally heard, of the little argument in there," Padme says, pointing towards the door Orn Free came out of. "I would enjoy listening. Oh, if you don't mind." Orn Free shook his head, saying, "Of course not, I'd be proud to announce your 'guest appearance'." "No, no, no," Padme answered. "I don't want them to know I'm here. I've just come to see Bail, but now perhaps Palpatine as well, after what you told me." "Absolutely," responded Orn Free. "If you don't mind my 'assistants'." The two then walked over towards the pod entrance where Orn Free's two female Twi'leks were waiting.  
  
CHAPTER XI  
  
On the Destroyer, the Jedi stood as Dooku calmly looked them up and down while sitting across the table in front of them. After moments of silence, it was broken. "As I said, please sit," Dooku repeated. When the Jedi still didn't respond, Mace began, "Stop this, Dooku. This war will end. You're coming with us to the Senate; there the Emperor will call a hearing and take control of this situation." "Ah, still taking orders, my dear Master Windu?" Dooku asked. "How is dear old Palpatine now? Moved up from the position of Senator those long years ago, hasn't he? But no worry about him, for I will soon be in control of the former Republic." This comment enraged Anakin, as he strongly stated, "Don't count on it." As Dooku heard this, he turned to the young Jedi and smiled. "Young Skywalker, I presume," announced Dooku. "I didn't know you were in this brigade. After your last.encounter with me, you lost more than you bargained for. "It won't be the only thing you'll be missing, when I'm done with you," Anakin threatened. Dooku responded with a heavy, hearty laugh. "Enough!" Obi-Wan addressed, as he turned to Anakin. "Don't give into hate, Anakin. Or you will suffer the fate of Dooku." "And what fate is that, Master Kenobi?" asked Dooku. "Or should I say General Kenobi? Is it that I have become the best Force-wielder in the galaxy?" "Your last battle with Yoda proves different, Dooku," Obi-Wan said. Anger built in Dooku by that comment. "No more fighting," Mace stated. "The Emperor has formed a special negotiating session for you and the entire Senate. Set your ship's coordinates for Coruscant and we can end this conflict." "There is no conflict," Dooku returned. "For centuries, Jedi have been protectors of peace in the galaxy. They don't believe in war, but when it calls, they will do their duty. They don't believe in hate. They don't believe in anger. They don't believe in fear. But I sense much fear in all of you. Especially you, Skywalker. You all fear that your fire will die out and leave you with nothing but ashes of a forgotten religion. And when that time comes, you will be all alone except for one thing: darkness." He stood up as smoothly as he could and pressed a button in front of him. A hologram of the Nkllon's shield generator came into view, similar to the one the Jedi were briefed with. However, this one showed figures cutting through droids, fighting their way further into the building. "As you can see," Dooku began, "your Jedi friends are in the middle of their mission. But what they don't know is that they are walking into a trap." At those words, a feel of panic swept over the Jedi as they walked closer towards the hologram, watching the strike team, work farther and farther into the structure.  
  
In Nkllon's shield generator, Kit Fitso led the Jedi to several operating rooms, deflecting oncoming fire and cutting droids in half. Battle droids and a few super battle droids kept on coming, but it was no problem for the forty Jedi. The other five Jedi died a few minutes ago when they were all caught off guard at a break in the volcano ground. The old, abandoned volcano had several hiding spots and breaks in the floor due to past eruptions. Kit cut through the last battle droid as the group stood before the main operating room for the shield generator. "Alright, this is it," he stated. "Go in smoothly and leave me to shut down the generator." At that moment, Kit signaled and the group ran into the room. To the group's surprise, there was nothing in the room. Not a single computer, droid, or piece of metal, just a cavern. The confused Jedi walked farther into it and felt heat grow stronger and stronger. The more the heat grew, the brighter the room became. The Jedi walked farther and farther until they came to a cliff and stared in horror at what they saw. Below them sat a vast pool of lava. It bubbled and gurgled, sending little bits of lava at the feet of the Jedi. Some were hit by it on their boots and started screaming as it burned through to their flesh. They jumped around, screaming, trying to take of their boots, until they knocked nine Jedi off the edge into the lava. The Jedi's screams didn't last long, for the lava was rising quickly, and their bodies disappeared with a little sizzle sound and a small puff of smoke. Kit gasped at this and screamed for the other Jedi to follow him. The Jedi sprinted off the way they came in to avoid the deadly lava.  
  
Dooku turned his back on his guests and stared out the window onto Nkllon. The dark side of the planet seemed to glow. Not from the sun that was shining on the other side, but from the lava rising from the planet's core. Dooku could do nothing, but chuckle as the Jedi watched in horror as the Jedi strike team sprinted down the twisting hallways of the supposed dead volcano.  
  
The lava began to rise above the ground surface from where the Jedi were standing. As soon as it raised enough, it was off. It slowly moved down the cavern's floor, but then picked up speed and traveled like a creek, growing larger and larger. Kit and the fellow Jedi ran farther and farther, using the Force as their guide through the twists and turns. As the Jedi turned what they believed was the last corner and would lead them to freedom, a platoon of more than one hundred battle droids stood waiting for them. The sweating and tired Jedi looked at each other and stormed the group with lightsabers ablaze.  
  
Dooku turned around to watch the still staring eyes of the Jedi following the action on Nkllon. He knew that this was his time to shine. "Your Jedi don't seem to be doing so well," he said. "Stop it!" shouted Ki-Adi. "They're all going to die!" "Well, of course," responded Dooku. "That is the point Master Mundi." Anakin was not watching the hologram, but the rest of the Jedi were. The whole time he had been watching Dooku. He had been staring into him, burring deep inside his brain, trying to figure out his evil. "We won't let that happen," stated Obi-Wan. "We won't let our fellow Jedi die, and you get away with it." "Qui-Gon didn't teach you about over-confidence, did he?" Dooku asked Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan didn't respond to this, he moved his eyes back to the hologram, watching Jedi fighting and getting shot down. His apprentice still stared at the man before him. As Anakin squinted harder, trying to see into him, Dooku quickly turned to look at him. The two were locked in a stare that involved one another to fight each other in one's mind.  
  
CHAPTER XII  
  
Padme could not believe her ears as she listened to the arguing going back and forth between Palpatine and Bail. She had never heard a Senate hearing be this bad. When someone ever argued with the Chancellor, or the Emperor, Padme corrected herself; they would be cut of from communicating. But the more Bail seemed to argue with Palpatine, the stronger Palpatine's supporters became. Padme didn't recognize most of Palpatine's supporters. They seemed to be new members. "Who are some of Palpatine's supporters, Orn Free?" asked Padme. "I don't recognize any of them." "Well, most of them are new Senators," answered Orn Free. "It is rumored that Emperor Palpatine had something to do with them being elected. But you know how rumors are. You did hear of terrorist attack on the Senate, didn't you?" "Of course!" Padme reassured. "It was the most tragic event for the Republic since the Battle of Ithor. But how did anyone plant explosives in all of those pods?" Orn Free shook his head, trying to remember that awful day. When he arrived that morning, it seemed to be another day. But instead it would be a day no one would forget. It was the day that the Coalition to Protect the Republic finally had enough members to overpower the Emperor in the decisions he was making. As the moment came for Bail to call a motion of no confidence in Emperor Palpatine, an explosion blew nearly a quarter of the Senate apart. Hundreds of Senators died in that explosion. Fortunately for the CPR, Bail survived. An explosive device was found in his pod, but did not detonate with the others. He had just returned from the Battle of Ithor and saw all of the death he needed to for a lifetime, and then that had to happen, Orn Free thought. "No one knows," answered Orn Free as he came back to reality. "It is rumored that the CIS had something to do with it. But you know how rumors are." Padme nodded and listened to more of the arguments.  
  
"What you need to realize is that the Jedi are the backbone of the Republic," Bail addressed. "We are all symbionts. If they continue to be wiped out, then the Republic will fall, no matter how many promises you make, your Excellency." The supporters of Palpatine booed Bail's words, but soon quieted down as Palpatine was about to give his final comment, "My dear members of the Senate, what has gone on today is with my unfortunate duty to admit is the lowest the Senate has succeed to. When I was given the power by you to handle the CIS and defend my Republic, our Republic, the galaxy's Republic, I knew that I would be able to do so to the best of my abilities. But something has been stopping me from doing so. People like Senator Organa from Alderaan or Master Yoda from the Jedi Order have 'handled' the battles against the CIS and done nothing but put the Republic in a downfall and I don't want that to happen. What I want is a place where democracy rules and I will help us get there! We need to forget the mistakes of the Jedi and build a new Republic! One that doesn't have defenders of an old religion, but defenders of an empire! An empire that will build the Republic a stronger backbone as Senator Organa wanted! An empire that will give you freedom and peace from all terrorist organizations and rebellions! An empire that will be here to stay! Long live a Republic that is yet to come!" At the dramatic end of that speech, the Senate turned into thunderous applause as nearly every Senator stood up to recognize the Emperor. Palpatine could do nothing but give a weak smile to show he cared for the Senators' support. Upon hearing that speech, Padme, who remained seated with Orn Free, looked over in the distance to see Bail with his head is hand.  
  
As other Senators left their pods, the Emperor still stood in the center of the room, speaking into a private comlink to fellow Senators that were his friends. No one seemed to notice this, but a small, green creature in a room at the top of the Senate room. Yoda sat cross-legged on a platform and remained staring at Palpatine as he had for the past hour or two. He used the Force to dig into the man's mind, but could find nothing. It was almost as if the man had so much in his mind, that some remained impenetrable, Yoda thought. Something was suspicious about this man, but what? Those years ago when Obi-Wan told him of what Dooku said about the Senate being controlled by a Sith was hard to believe. How could he not see that? Was he getting too old? 876 years was quite a long time, he thought. But out of all of those years, this time was the worst he had ever seen. The war, the fighting, the corruption, it didn't make sense. There had to be someone behind it, but who? His former Padawan, Count Dooku, was always too into himself. He never would of thought his own former-apprentice would be the head of a rebellion whose goal was to destroy the Republic. But there was no way Dooku could manipulate the entire Senate and the Republic for that matter. There had to be an inside person, Yoda thought as he continued to look at the Senators gathering up their things, as they left another hearing. Yoda looked around one final time as he locked eyes with the Emperor. The Emperor's eyes were the coldest he had ever seen. But not cold from evil, but rather from stress and corruption, Yoda thought. But as the two continued to stare, Yoda immediately broke away as he grab his chest sensing something in the Force; something that would spell doom for the Jedi.  
  
Orn Free and Padme walked around the Senate for quite awhile, discussing the day's events and the Emperor's plan of recruiting for his new army called storm troopers. Padme didn't like the idea of it, and especially didn't want the Republic to stretch all across the galaxy as proposed by Palaptine. Some systems needed to remain neutral, Padme thought, to keep themselves out of political conflicts. As Padme and Orn Free walked further and further they came across a small group of Senators talking. Padme recognized the first one she saw. The tall frame, the slow bobbing, and the big floppy ears could tell she was looking at the back of Jar Jar Binks. The gungan and her had been through quite a lot together in the past decade: fighting for their home planet and representing Naboo in the Senate. Padme had to admit that Jar Jar had clownish manners, but from what she had been reading in news reports, he had improved from that silly gungan to a serious, experienced Senator. As Padme walked up to the group, she patted Jar Jar on the back. The gungan quickly turned around and looked down at the smaller figure in front of him. A big smile formed on his face as he screamed, "M'lady! Oh mooie goodness!" He grabbed her and two exchanged a huge hug. As the two were hugging, the other four Senators left their conversation to find out who this person was Jar Jar was hiding behind his big body. When the hugging ended, Padme turned to look at the other Senators. She recognized all of them, but one stood out that she had been friends with for a long time. "What are you doing here?" Bail quickly asked. "I need to find where Anakin is," she answered. "Oh, um, would you excuse me, please?" Bail addressed the other Senators. "I'll contact you for our next meeting." The two left the other Senators and began walking to the lift to Bail's personal shuttle. "About Anakin," Bail began. "What?" Padme interrupted. "He arrived very early this morning to meet with Palpatine about an award," Bail started. "I then met with him-" "Where is he Bail?" Padme interrupted. "That's all I want to know." "He and a legion of Jedi are on a mission to capture Count Dooku," Bail explained. "But that's all I can say for now. Palpatine mentioned the secret mission to the entire Senate, and I fear inside sources of Dooku might be getting the news right now."  
  
CHAPTER XIII  
  
The droids were nearly all in pieces on the floor as the few Jedi remained one of Nkllon's millions of volcanoes. The battle droids thinned out quickly at first, when the Jedi ran into them, but their numbers kept growing and growing. As they kept coming, the Jedi kept fighting and falling. Kit screamed for the other five Jedi to charge for the opening this due to the lava approaching from behind them and that the numbers of droids were decreasing. The Jedi agreed and Force-called dead Jedi's lightsabers to their other hand. They then sprinted at an incredible speed to the remaining twenty battle droids, spinning their lightsabers at 360 degrees, slicing the droids into bits and pieces. Once the Jedi passed through them, they continued their sprint through the long hallway, not looking back as the lava engulfed the pieces of droids and the dead Jedi. Nearing the exit, the Jedi slowed down to catch their breath. At that moment they looked out to where they had landed their ships, to find heaps of rubble, smoking and in flames as super battle droids continued to fire on them. At that moment the Jedi stared in disbelief at their destroyed ships and looked back and forth between the oncoming lava and super battle droids now noticing the Jedi. Kit took a deep breath and looked at his fellow exhausted friends. "It has been a pleasure fighting with you," he said. "All of you." The other Jedi had to smile at him as they gathered up their strength and ran towards the super battle droids. They wanted to die fighting.  
  
At that moment, the hundreds of miles of "abandoned and dead" volcanoes erupted, sending a tremendous blast of lava and ash, all around the planet. The lava spread all around the hard, black, rocky surfaces.  
  
"NOOOO!" screamed Obi-Wan, as he and the other Jedi watched the remaining Jedi be engulfed by a sea of lava. Dooku didn't smile, but was laughing inside. He had been waiting for this moment for years. The moment when he would prove he was in control of the Republic. When the Senate found out of the fall of the Jedi, they would have no choice, but to bow to his wishes. As the Jedi turned away from the hologram to stare at Dooku, he said, "My power proved you all wrong. As you can see, I am a man of my word. Now all that survives of the Jedi are you five standing before me and a few on Coruscant. Oh, I couldn't forget my dear, former master, Yoda. But don't worry; my master will have his ways with the other few in the galaxy." "Why Dooku?" asked Mace. "You kill thousands of Jedi, build up your facilities on a planet, and then destroy them! Why? Why? You crazy, damn fool!" "Calm, be calm," Dooku soothed out of his mouth. "I didn't destroy any of my facilities! It was all an act. I wouldn't be stupid enough to let Bothan spies get a hold of a shield generator. That 'shield generator' was nothing, but an empty cavern, built with sensors in the walls for you Jedi to track. "You have failed, Jedi. You are now in a fully armed and operational battleship. There is no escape. Good-bye." A door behind the Jedi opened to reveal dozens of firing battle droids. Dooku used this moment to escape. He typed in a code into the table and a door appeared on the black wall. He ran through it, taking one last look at the Jedi. They were defending themselves well, he thought. He also caught a glimpse of Anakin staring at him and fighting at the same time. Dooku responded with a smile and the door closed, camouflaging into the wall. "Dooku!" Anakin screamed with tears forming on his face. So much was going through his mind right now: the death of all of the Jedi in space and on Nkllon, while he could do nothing to prevent it, the droids he was defending himself from, and the escape of Dooku. What should he do? he thought. He decided the Jedi could defend themselves, and began moving slowly towards the hidden door Dooku escaped through. "Anakin!" Obi-Wan yelled as he defended himself. "Don't even think about it! We need your help here!" "He's going to escape!" Anakin responded while deflecting laser bolts. "Listen to me!" Obi-Wan continued. "There will be another time!" "And more dead Jedi!" Anakin screamed back. "I'll meet you on the rendezvous on Coruscant!" At that instant he ran to the wall and moved his hand briefly over it. The hidden door opened and Anakin ran through it. Obi-Wan saw this and cursed himself, "Damn."  
  
At a bar in a lounge on the Destroyer, the leaders of the CIS stood serving each other drinks. They all appeared to be calm and professional, but were secretly bottling their nervousness deep down. Nute's hand shook from time to time while holding a beverage, but he would set it down and begin looking at the art on the wall. While Nute was on his usual "tour" of the room, a door formed on the wall and he jumped back with a scream. From out the door came Dooku, a little out of breath, but with a professional stance he walked out of the door and began addressing his friends. "My former colleagues," he began. "The Jedi are being taken care of as we speak. However, I have received unexpected news from my Master and must depart for Coruscant immediately. But as the host of this meeting, I invite you to stay and enjoy yourselves." At that, Dooku bowed and rushed out of the room. Nute looked at the others in the room and observed, "A little hurried he is, isn't he?" After that comment, he let out another scream as another figure jumped out from the open door in the wall. It was Anakin and his lightsaber was pointed towards Nute. "Where is he?" Anakin impatiently asked. "He...w-went.that way," Nute answered, pointing towards the open double doors at the end of the room. Anakin glared one last time at Nute before cutting off his arm that was trembling, holding a drink. Nute screamed and Anakin ran out of the room chasing Dooku.  
  
CHAPTER XIV  
  
In Padme's apartment on Coruscant, she and Bail were enjoying a lunch prepared by Dorme, and were being served by C-3PO. The droid still remained that dirty, rusty color. He had been feeling quite sad lately due to not having any companionship he did in the past. He had grown quite close to the droid R2-D2. When the two first met in Anakin's slave quarters in Mos Espa, 3PO was very embarrassed due to his "naked" body. But when the two were reunited, ten years later, 3PO and R2 actually had time to form a friendship. After the mishap in the Geonosis droid factory and the wedding of Anakin and Padme, the two spent a lot together on Naboo: hundreds of discussions, which would sometimes turn into arguments, serving the married couple, and even getting 3PO out of "situations". However, when Anakin was called away to war, R2 went with him. Even though Padme was sad to see Anakin go, 3PO wished he knew how to cry so his feelings for his good friend could be shown. But a few months later Anakin and R2 returned, only to be called back one last time. Or so Padme and 3PO thought. Both Padme and 3PO had lost someone they cared about, and they were both on Coruscant to find where they could be. Dorme put two dishes of fruit on a large plate and brought them to Padme and Bail. Dorme didn't know Bail very well. She had seen him many times years ago when Padme was a Senator, but her memory of him still stayed strong. She couldn't explain it, but she always had secret feelings for this man. She never had a conversation or was in the same room with just him, so it wasn't like she could express her feelings whenever she felt like it. Dorme had never loved before, and thought it was strange she would fall for a man fifteen years older than her. She then realized she had been standing at the lunch table for a minute or two. "We're fine now, Dorme," Padme said. "Thank you." "You are quite welcome, m'lady," Dorme responded taking one last look at Bail before going into the kitchen where 3PO was cleaning dishes. "She is quite something," Bail said as he watched the handmaiden go into the kitchen. "I'm sure she enjoys working for you." "Oh, she loves it," responded Padme. "We grew up together. Her family was killed when she was very young. She helped serve my family when she was eight or nine and just stayed with me when I was elected Queen through now. She is a great friend." "Yes," was all Bail could say as he stared where Dorme exited. "Bail?" Padme asked. "Oh, I'm sorry," Bail said as he came back to reality. "Where were we?" "You were telling me why Anakin was chosen for this mission," Padme answered. "Well, it was really Palpatine's idea," Bail said. "I heard that the Jedi Council had trouble accepting his proposal. They thought he was too impatient, but realized that he was a great fighter. Obi-Wan told me he was never for it." "How is Obi-Wan?" Padme asked. "Same as always," Bail simply responded. "He and I have been through quite a lot together. The battles we have both fought in have resulted in victories for the Republic. All except for Ithor. I just don't know what happened there." "What do you think happened there?" asked Padme. "We we're cut off guard," he said. "It is as simple as that. The clone troopers' main carrier ship was destroyed by something under the surface. No one knows what it was. Some big, green stream came out from the surface and hit the ship. The funny thing is, is that it wasn't used again. It was as if it was a weapon that was being tested, as if it weren't ready yet. Well, whatever it was, I hope it doesn't show itself in larger form." "Bail, I can't believe what a fighter you are," Padme exclaimed. "Well, I did train at the Academy," Bail said. "I decided that instead of squabbling in the Senate about the number of deaths on the battlefields, I would fight for what I thought was right." "That's very noble of you," Padme said. "I wanted Anakin to escape that, but it was impossible. He has such a need for it. I think it gives him strength, which I guess is a good thing. I just hope Palpatine can put an end to this war. After what I saw today, I'm actually losing hope." "I hate to disappoint you," began Bail, "but I feel that this mission to bring Dooku to the Senate for negotiation will lead to more violence. Some members of the Senate would love to see Dooku dead. Trying to present him in a peaceful manner is no the approach we should take." "What approach should we take?" Padme asked. "I don't know," continued Bail, "but I think that Palpatine is somehow behind this war. Of course he appears to be trying to prevent more, but I think he is corrupt. It is just one of those gut feelings." "Don't tell Anakin that when he returns," Padme warned. "He has great respect for the man. As have I, but I feel something about him that wasn't there when he served as Senator. He is making his own ideas, rather than the ideas of the Senate. He is falling into the dark pit of politics. He used to be the only the real good-natured human being out there. Of course, next to you, Bail." "Thank you, Padme," Bail responded. The two continued talking as Dorme secretly watched Bail from the slightly open kitchen door.  
  
CHAPTER XV  
  
The battle droids kept on coming as the four Jedi defended themselves. Mace knew the mission to capture Dooku had failed, Mace thought. He had been sick of all of this fighting. As great a warrior he was, the fighting had reached its limit. He and Yoda had discussed the war many times in the Jedi Temple. The small, green master predicted the war to be devastating for the Jedi, but knew that Jedi must do their duty. Mace tried to convince Yoda to go on this mission, but the Jedi refused saying that he must stay to protect the Temple. Of course he couldn't physically do that, Mace thought. But he could tap into almost any mind, searching for the answer behind the chaos. Yoda had also always kept an eye on the Senate. For the past two years he went down there everyday, even if there wasn't a hearing. Mace hoped that Yoda found something that would put an end to all of this, he thought as he decapitated a battle droid. All of the Jedi use their best fighting techniques against the droids. Obi-Wan sliced his lightsaber through the air deflecting the shots made by three super battle droids. He continued to dodge the blaster fire. Ki-Adi and Plo were fighting back to back. At one point they both ducked, only to have the droids fire upon themselves. Mace Windu threw his lightsaber in a boomerang fashion, having it slice through the upper torso of super battle droids. "Where's Anakin?" Mace asked. "He chased after Dooku," Obi-Wan answered. "I told him not to, but it looks like he hasn't learned anything." As Mace sliced a droid in half he responded, "I now feel it was a mistake bringing him on the mission." "Oh, I know," Obi-Wan answered sarcastically as he sliced three droids in half. "We need to get to the hanger!" shouted Ki-Adi. "I know the way!" responded Plo as the Jedi left the remaining battle droids and headed for the hanger to escape.  
  
Anakin feared he would be lost in the enormous ship. The many hallways and tunnels were too much for his mind as he was mainly thinking of what he would do to Dooku when he found him. All of those dead Jedi because of one man, Anakin thought. As Anakin turned one last corner he entered a hanger. Hoping he would find his Jedi Starfighter, Anakin saw dozens of the TIE fighters he had just earlier fought with the other Jedi. In the center of this enormous hanger sat Dooku's Solar Sailor. Anakin recognized this immediately from his last confrontation with Dooku. As he snuck into the hanger, Anakin saw Dooku and his droid pilot get on board. Dooku turned around to see Anakin waiting for him. A duel was obviously implied, as he walked down his ship's ramp towards Anakin. As he approached the Jedi, several TIE pilots came running forth in their black suits to watch the duel. Anakin walked towards Dooku with lightsaber drawn. When Dooku walked closer without activating his, Anakin began to worry. At that instant, Dooku Force threw a cargo box at Anakin's head sending him back into a wall. Dooku decided it was his time to leave. He ran up the ship's ramp and ordered the droid to take off. Upon his order, the droid pulled a few levers and the ship roared to life. As it lifted off, Anakin got up with a cut on the side of his head and ran to the ship as it took off. Too late, he thought, as the ship left the hanger into the deepness of space. Anakin stood there figuring out a way of following Dooku. He turned to see the TIE pilots standing there, defenseless. Knowing they had no chance against him, the pilots got on their knees and surrendered to the Jedi. Full of anger and hatred towards them, Anakin screamed and decapitated all six of them. With a mind flowing with thoughts of confusion and hatred, Anakin stood in the hanger with six dead bodies around him, watching the only man he hated get away.  
  
Mace, Obi-Wan, Ki-Adi, and Plo all made it to the hanger they landed in. But before they rushed in, they could see that the four Jedi that were to remain guarding the ships were on their knees. Super battle droids watched them closely to make sure no funny moves were to be made. Aside from the four Jedi and super battle droids, nearly eighty battle droids were in the hanger formed in a strategic position. Obi-Wan knew this was bad and asked Mace what to do. "There is only one thing we can do," he answered. "Fight." At that, the four Jedi nodded to each other and walked out into the hanger side by side. As the droids began to notice their presence, "Halt!" and "Stop right there!" were shouted, but that did not stop the approaching Jedi. At that instant when a droid yelled, "Fire!" the four approaching Jedi stuck out both of their arms and closed their eyes. Using the Force, they sent nearly forty droids back! The droids that were shot back knocked over others, creating a domino effect. Most of the droids short circuited from the push and remained on the ground. Others did not seem effected by it and immediately started firing. The Jedi defended themselves well as they sliced through the droids as easily as before. When the super battle droids saw these four figures, they opened fire. As they left the group of prisoner Jedi, they got up and took a blaster from fallen droids. The fight was on as Jedi dived between firing droids and using the Force to send others flying through the air, crashing into walls. As a few droids remained, a female, computerized voice came announced, "Detonation. Detonation. Detonation commencing in eight minutes." Upon hearing this, the Jedi ran to their ships. Before reaching them, two guns popped out of the ceiling, firing blasts at the ships. The blasts continued, destroying each ship, one by one. The explosions sent the Jedi flying back. Quickly getting up from the fall, the Jedi armed with blasters began firing on the guns and those with lightsabers flung them towards the target. It didn't take long for the firing guns to explode, sending bits of metal and smoke onto the Jedi. Sensing their lightsabers, the Jedi called them to themselves and hooked them onto their belts. All they could do then was stare at the destroyed ships. Nothing but heaps of rubble lay before them, sizzling, and sending sparks into the air. "Oh, great," said one of the Jedi. But as the smoke cleared it showed that four ships remained: Anakin's, Mace's, Ki-Adi's, and one of the other Jedi's. Upon seeing this, the Jedi knew only four of them would survive. No words were exchanged until the voice came on, "Seven minutes until detonation. Seven minutes." "Dooku is mad!" exclaimed Ki-Adi. "He wouldn't detonate his own ship! Not with all of the leaders on board!" "He's fallen into evil ways," argued Mace. "He doesn't care for other lives." "Well, we have to deactivate the self-destruct!" Plo yelled. "Only then can we all escape! I'm going to deactivate it any way I can! Who's with me?" All of the Jedi stepped forth. "We can't all go," Plo continued. "In respect to the Republic, I believe Masters Windu and Kenobi should leave." "Never!" yelled Obi-Wan. "Why should we leave you?" "Your apprentice needs you," answered Plo. "And you Mace, you can't leave Yoda by himself. He needs you as well." "I can't do that," Mace said. "You will do that," Plo responds. "Now you either let me fulfill my destiny or we die. It is your choice. And to make that choice easier, you can't stop me." At that point, Plo runs off as Ki-Adi and the four Jedi follow. "Masters!" shouts Mace as the Jedi turn around. "May the Force be with you." Plo smiled and the Jedi turned and sprinted off. Mace and Obi-Wan looked at each other and boarded the Jedi Starfighters. Obi-Wan looked at Anakin's empty ship and sighed, hoping that Anakin had escaped some other way.  
  
Meanwhile, the CIS leaders were all coming up with their own theories of what was happening. Nute paced back and forth, rubbing his sweaty hands together. "I've been betrayed in the past, you know," he began. "You can't trust just anyone." "Relax, Viceroy," Shu Mai said. "It is just a bluff to get the Jedi off of our backs." "I hope you're right," Nute responded. A few moments of silence passed until the voice said, "Six minutes until detonation. Six minutes." "Me too," added Shu Mai.  
  
Ki-Adi, Plo, and the other four Jedi reached the control room and found it to be covered with battle droids. Used to this sort of thing, the Jedi plow through cutting down the enemy. The four other Jedi protect Ki- Adi and Plo as the two break into the ship's mainframe computer. "What are we looking for?" asked Ki-Adi as he hacked into a computer. "Look for anything about the internal structure of the ship," Plo answered. "We need to shut down the self-destruct system. It is probably located in the ship's neutron center. I'm deactivating the magnetic field for Mace and Obi-Wan." As Plo continued to shut down the magnetic field, Ki-Adi's eyes widened in horror as he saw the hologram in front of him. It was a sphere spinning on its axis. It looked like a moon or a planet, but when reading its features, he realized that it was a weapon. "Look at this Plo," Ki-Adi said. "What is it?" "I can't believe it," exclaimed Plo. "This is their secret weapon! We need to send this to the Jedi Temple." Plo typed in more and a camera shot up in to record a message. Plo and Ki-Adi stood up in front of the camera, about to record their message as the voice came on announcing one minute until destruction.  
  
CHAPTER XVI  
  
Dooku sat back, with a smile on his face. He didn't remember when he was this happy. All Jedi were dead, but a few here and there, and the old Master Yoda, who would be no match compared to the power of the Sith, Dooku thought. He loved the word Sith. It represented so much just by itself. Master Sidious and I will reign supreme in a galaxy where the term Republic wouldn't exist. As Dooku still chuckled to himself, his droid said, "Approaching ship." "What?!" a shocked Dooku cried. Just then a TIE fighter came roaring into Dooku's view firing upon the ship's sail. The green laser bolts tore away the bronze color and left nothing. The once Solar Sailor was nothing, but a sleek ship, without weapons or shields. "Excuse me, Dooku," began Anakin. "I'm just dropping in for a moment." A scared Dooku knocked his droid out of the way and grabbed a hold of the controls. He banked it left, then right, dodging the shots made by Anakin. "Come on, Dooku," taunted Anakin. "You're not such a great fighter when it comes to flying." At that moment, Anakin fired again, grazing the ship and sending a fluid pouring out of it. A beeping from inside the ship told Dooku that he was leaking fuel. "One more hit, Dooku," continued Anakin. "That's all I need." "Oh, no," began Dooku, "my dear Jedi. That's not all you need. You need more Jedi." "What are talking about?" asked Anakin. "Surely you know of the self-destruct on my ship?" Dooku asked. "If you hurry, you can save your Jedi friends. Or you can let them die and kill me. It's your choice, but I warn you, if you let them die, only you and Yoda will be left." "Liar!" shouted Anakin. "You lie!" "Very well, then," Dooku said. "Destroy me." Anakin was caught again. The remaining Jedi or the most evil man in the galaxy? he pondered. "I'll be seeing you again," was all Anakin could say as he quickly turned around heading back to the Destroyer.  
  
As Anakin reached the coordinates for the ship, he took a five second look at the Destroyer before it exploded in a huge, bright fireball. "NOOOOO!" Anakin screamed as he could feel the death of his Jedi friends onboard. Tears poured down his face as his ship traveled towards pieces of scrap floating in space. But as the tears faded away, they were replaced with a face of anger. Hatred boiled in Anakin, more than it ever had. "Dooku! I'm going to kill you!" he screamed as loud as he could into the deep reaches of space.  
  
On Coruscant, the Jedi Temple was as quiet as it ever had been. All but twelve Jedi remained in it, meditating and practicing the ways of the Force until their friends returned. In the Jedi Council chamber, Yoda sat in the center of the floor with his eyes closed. His mind was traveling at light speed through all of the information he had obtained his whole life. But his mind kept on returning to Anakin. He focused on him, trying to see what was so special about the boy. He looked deeper and deeper, until his eyes opened and he stared straight ahead not believing what was happening. He then felt the screams of all of the Jedi he had taught. All of the Jedi he had worked with. All of the Jedi he was friends with, die so quickly. He closed his eyes searching for survivors. He saw Mace flying his ship with a very sad look on his face, one with failure written all over it. Yoda also saw Obi-Wan flying close to Mace, he too with a look on his face of failure. But failure was not the only thing. There was also worry. But worry of what? Yoda thought. He looked deeper to find it was a worry of Anakin. As soon as he pictured him in his mind, he quickly disappeared, only to be replaced with a sea of lava. And out of that lava came Anakin's face, burned beyond recognition. But the only that Yoda could see that made it Anakin, were the eyes of anger and suffering, which were the first things he ever noticed about the young Jedi. After seeing this, Yoda did nothing but sit; sit and stare into the late afternoon sun, setting on Coruscant's horizon. 


	2. The Curse of a Love

PROLOGUE  
  
The Jedi have lost hope. The mission to end the war, formed by Senator Bail Organa of Alderaan, involving the remaining Jedi to extract Count Dooku and bring him to order in the Galactic Senate, has failed. Against her handmaiden's and family's wishes, Padme Skywalker has begun trying to find out where her husband is, unaware that he was in fact one of the leaders in the devastating operation. Masters Obi-Wan Kenobi and Mace Windu, two of the three surviving Jedi from the mission, return to Coruscant to see if Master Yoda has found the source of the evil that is destroying the Republic and plaguing the galaxy.  
CHAPTER XVII  
  
The two Jedi Starfighters flew into Coruscant airspace next to each other. The ships were scorched from battle, with black holes on the wings and dirt and ash covering the cockpit window. One of the ships was Mace Windu's with the Jedi Master flying and thinking of what to tell Master Yoda about the Jedi. He had lost his R2 unit on his left wing about halfway into the battle. When he heard R2-T3 scream, he knew that the Force was the only thing he could rely on while TIEs blasted all around him. The other ship was Anakin's, with R2-D2 positioned in the back, thinking of all the stories he had to tell C-3PO when he saw him again. However, inside the ship was Obi-Wan Kenobi. Sorrow built up in him as he thought about the dozens of Jedi that died that day. He knew so many of them, and they were gone with him not being able to do a single thing about it. The other part of his mind was thinking of Anakin. Where was he? Did he get off of the ship before it blew? Obi-Wan asked himself. Anakin was very important to him. He is the Chosen One, as Qui-Gon put it. "Where are we going?" Obi-Wan asked over his comlink. "To the Temple," Mace answered. "We have to tell Master Yoda." A pain shot in Obi-Wan's stomach when he heard that name. Poor Yoda, who taught each of those Jedi that died in space and on Nkllon's surface, thought Obi-Wan. I wonder what he'll say? The Jedi traveled across Coruscant's skyscrapers until they reached the Jedi Temple. They landed on a platform used only for the members of the Jedi Council. Since Mace and Yoda were the only survivors, three ships remained as Obi-Wan and Mace got out of theirs. The two Jedi walked towards each other. As they met, no words were exchanged. Words couldn't describe or comfort the way each of them was feeling. A few moments passed until the two Jedi walked to the entrance of the temple with their arms on each other's shoulders.  
  
The doors to the Jedi Council chamber opened as Yoda's eyes opened from meditation. He grabbed his cane and stood up as the two Jedi approached him. The three bowed to one another with the deepest respect for each other. Words were still not exchanged as the Jedi all sat on the center of the chamber floor. "Come to a decision I have," began Yoda. "Leave I shall." Mace was surprised by this as he stated, "Leave? We need you." "Need me?" Yoda questioned. "Too old I have become to fight. Meditate is only the good I can do." "But Master Yoda," began Obi-Wan, "the war and Dooku-" "Do not worry me, the war and Dooku do," responded Yoda. "To draw us away from the truth, I believe they do." "What is the truth?" asked Mace. "Darkness," answered Yoda. "Darkness, I see, for the Republic." "What else?" continued Mace. "A dark figure," Yoda said. "Rising to power with the Sith Master. The Sith Master I must find. Clouded he is from the Dark Side." "Where are you going?" asked Obi-Wan. Yoda sighed and looked toward the Jedi as he said, "Cannot tell you now. When the time comes, contact you I will." The Jedi Master stood up as his two fellow Jedi sat watching him leave the room.  
  
CHAPTER XVIII  
  
Padme stood in her bedroom staring off as night began to fall. She had been standing there for the past hour or two thinking about Anakin. She couldn't believe that he would go against her word and continue to fight. She knew that thinking about him would just hurt her even more. She had to remember their wedding day. That was the happiest day of her life, until the storm came. The two were married early in the morning when they arrived on Naboo. It was a few days after the battle of Geonosis and Padme was shook up. Anakin volunteered to take her home, and the two embarked on their travel. While the ship was halfway there, just outside of Rhommamool, Anakin and Padme lied next to each other. While talking, C-3PO and R2-D2 looked over the ship while it was on automatic. While the droids were looking things over, Anakin and Padme talked and talked. The two were made for each other. Anakin's sarcasm and Padme's gullibility made the two laugh so hard. They talked for nearly hours, as the ship stayed on course. A few times they would keep the ship out of hyperspeed just so they could spend more time together. But as the talking and laughing wore on, the two grew closer and closer. They had both admitted their love for one another and nothing could stop that. Just before arriving on Naboo, Anakin got on one knee and confessed to Padme. He had already purchased a ring in a Coruscant jewelry before they had left for the planet. Padme cried and embraced him, knowing that their lives would be much better from that day forward. She knew that Jedi weren't aloud to marry, but nothing could keep true love away. As she embraced Anakin on the ship, thoughts flew through her mind about what to tell her family. She knew they would be happy, but something told her they should keep the wedding small. When the two arrived on Naboo, they had planned earlier to go to see Padme's family, but instead went to the Lake Retreat. There Padme was able to contact a holy man she knew. While Anakin stood on the balcony, awaiting the holy man, Padme looked through her closet, searching for her grandmother's wedding dress. Her mother had put it in there; always teasing her that she should wear it on her wedding day. Padme put it on and walked out to greet her fiancé. Anakin remained in his Jedi clothes, but that didn't bother Padme. She just wanted this to be the day she would always remember. As soon as the holy man arrived, C-3PO and R2-D2 came out from their wandering to act as witnesses of the marriage. Later, after the two kissed to show that they were married, they stared off into the distance at the rising sun, representing the bright future they had together. However, almost by some magic, the sun was covered by dark, black clouds. Lightning struck in the distance and thunder rumbled, getting closer and closer. The two newly-weds looked at each other, hoping that it wasn't an omen. Instead, as the rain began to pour, the two began to laugh. The two embraced while C-3PO ran inside screaming from what he had never experienced. R2-D2 followed while the two newly weds kissed in the rain on the balcony. As the storm calmed down, the two went inside to change. Padme called her mother to tell her the good news. However, her mother didn't answer the phone, but rather the local police. When Anakin came into the room, Padme was curled up in ball in the corner of the room. Practically hyperventilating, she told Anakin that her father, Ruwee, was killed in the storm. He was out fishing, planning on bringing home breakfast, when the storm sent his boat overboard. While attempting to get back on the boat, lighting struck the water sending electricity through the boat and Ruwee. As Padme recalled that memory, a tear rolled down her cheek. She loved her father very much and knew he would have loved the fact that she was married. But he would never know. Padme continued to stare off into the night sky above Coruscant's skyscrapers.  
CHAPTER XIX  
  
Yoda carried a bag towards his Jedi Starfighter. He looked up to the night sky as millions of stars blinked back at him. He never thought that this day would have come. The day that he had to leave the temple that he had been teaching in for centuries. The day that the Republic was in the most danger it ever had been in. The day that the Jedi were becoming extinct. Yoda closed his eyes as he set his bag in his ship. Pain flowed through his body whenever he thought of the remaining Jedi. He wasn't concerned of Obi-Wan, Mace, or the other eight Jedi in the temple, but for Anakin. That boy had always worried him, ever since he was brought in those twelve years ago. Qui-Gon had a persistence that would never die. His confidence that Anakin was the Chosen One surprised the council members, as well as his Apprentice, Obi-Wan. Yoda sensed much fear in him, even though the boy denied it. He didn't know what it was at the time, but he also sensed danger if he were to be trained. The prophecy of the Chosen One said that it would bring balance to the Force. However, with more and more Jedi dying and the unknown Sith Master and Apprentice, the Jedi might be brought down to only two Jedi. Yoda tried to see the remaining Jedi, but it was clouded. Everything was clouded for him: the Sith, Anakin, the future of the Republic. Nothing was what it was. It was anything but. As Yoda climbed up the ladder into his ship, he used the Force to feel someone approach. He turned around to see Obi-Wan running towards him. "Master Yoda!" he shouted waving his hand. Yoda remained on the ladder as Obi-Wan approached. He felt a disturbance as he read Obi-Wan's thoughts. "We have a message," Obi-Wan stated. "A message that you should see." Yoda jumped down from the second step on the ladder, grabbed his cane, and followed Obi-Wan back into the Temple.  
  
Mace stood in his apartment messing with the knobs and buttons on a hologram presenter. He turned a few more knobs when the doors behind him opened and the two Jedi walked in the room. Mace left the presenter he was working on and approached Yoda. "I've received a message from Dooku's ship," Mace began. "The same ship that was destroyed earlier." He then walked over to what he was working on and connected two cords together. At that instant, a hologram fluttered and crackled and then went out. Mace frowned and tapped the side of the box. By hitting it, the hologram returned showing Plo Koon and Ki- Adi-Mundi standing next to each other. This interested Yoda and he walked closer to the hologram. "Master Windu," began Plo, "We regret to say that it is impossible to shut down the self-destruct on the Destroyer and our mission to bring Count Dooku to order has failed. We have found designs in this ship's database for some kind of weapon." "We don't know its internal structure," started Ki-Adi as the plans were projected for the watching Jedi, "but we don't think its used for peace. We've looked farther into the database, and the entire designs are located in the factory on Nkllon's surface. It hasn't been destroyed by the lava and it in never will be. It was designed to take the hit of lava, and won't melt under the extreme temperatures." "You need to get those plans into the Jedi's hands," returned Plo. "If Dooku or the Emperor were to get them into their hands, it could spell doom for the Republic. If this weapon is capable of doing what it says, it will make the Clone Wars look like a kid's game." "All we can do," returned Ki-Adi, "is pray that you can save the galaxy by getting these plans into your hands and destroying them." At that moment, the two figures shook as the ship was beginning to explode. They both stated, "May the Forc-" The hologram shut off as the recording ended. Mace's hand was covering his mouth in sadness at the view of his fellow Jedi's death. Obi-Wan stood with a worried look on his face, but shook himself out of it and stared at Yoda. Yoda was staring straight ahead, his eyes darting back and forth as he concentrated on the moment. "Leave I still must," he stated. "But my Jedi, follow Plo's and Ki- Adi's orders. The Dark Side I sense behind this weapon." "I will find it, Master," Obi-Wan said. "And I have help." "Good," Yoda said. "Contact Master Windu you must, when the plans are found." "Understood," Obi-Wan returned. "Master Windu?" Yoda asked. Mace had moved over to his apartment window, staring off into the night sky. His head was facing down as he said, "Understood."  
  
CHAPTER XX  
  
In Palpatine's office, the Emperor sat behind his desk, but another figure was in the room with him. Anakin sat in front of him with his head in his hands. Anakin arrived in Palpatine's office a little under an hour ago. When he arrived, the two exchanged a few words, but as soon as he sat down, silence remained. "I can't believe I failed," Anakin said as he broke the silence. "I had him right there. I could have blown to him bits, but I had to save my friends. You understand, don't you?" Palpatine nodded, saying, "Anakin, you had a choice: your friends or the enemy. You chose your friends and still failed. What you need to learn is that friends come and go. Enemies don't. If you had killed Dooku, we wouldn't still be in this mess." "I'm sorry, your Excellency," apologized Anakin. "The Jedi were dying. I wanted to save what was left of them." Palpatine slammed his fist down on the table. "I am sick and tired of the Jedi, Anakin," he stated. "What?" a shocked Anakin asked. "Listen to you!" Palpatine said. "You failed a mission because of the Jedi, Anakin. Your judgment has been impaired by their lack of. By attempting to save your friends, you let the enemy escape. That will not happen again." "No, it will not," Anakin reassured. "Good," Palpatine said. "And do you know why that is?" "Why?" Anakin wondered. "Because you have a second chance," Palpatine stated as Anakin leaned forward. "We know where Dooku is, don't we, Anakin?" Anakin shook his head. "Search your feelings," Palpatine commanded. "Where would Dooku be? The leaders of the CIS are dead. You damaged the sail to his ship, so he has a limited distance. He has no defenses." "But he has facilities set up all over the galaxy for him," Anakin said. "But he doesn't have one thing," Palpatine said. "What is that?" asked Anakin. "A weapon," answered Palpatine. "Well, more like plans for a weapon; one that could destroy the Republic. It could bring us to our knees, Anakin. If he were in control of these plans, he would control your life, your freedom, your wife even." Anakin's eyes glared at Palpatine for even the suggestion that Dooku would touch Padme. "I won't let that happen," Anakin sternly stated. "I promise." "Excellent," Palpatine said. "See here, Anakin." Palpatine then pressed a button on his desk. A hologram was presented on the nearby wall of the droid factory on Nkllon. It was larger than the shield generator, but rather than being built inside an abandoned volcano, it seemed to sit on the edge of a cliff. The cliff was hundreds of feet from the pool of lava at the bottom. It proved that lava could never reach this building. "These plans are located in this building," began Palpatine. "All you have to do is get them and escape. It's as simple as that. If you pull this off, Anakin, I can assure you that great things will come to the name Skywalker. I'm sure your wife would enjoy if you were 'awarded' again." Anakin sat there staring at the hologram. Less than 24 hours ago, he was sitting in this very room being offered a job that would be impossible to reject. It was hard to go against the word he gave his wife, and accept the mission. But now the Emperor was asking the very same thing. "I'm sorry, your Excellency," Anakin began as he stood up, "but I can't. I made a promise to my wife, and I'm going to keep it. Until we meet again." With that, Anakin bowed and turned to walk out of the room. "What about Dooku, Anakin?" Palpatine asked. Anakin paused and turned around. "Are you going to let him get away, again? Are you going to fail, again? Do you want to keep your promise and return empty handed, or break it and return with everything you've ever dreamed of?" "I have all I've ever dreamed of," Anakin said. "I have a wife." "But that's not enough, is it, Anakin?" Palpatine asked. "You've always wanted more. That's why you couldn't stop fighting in the this war. You needed to keep on fighting. To prove the Jedi Council wrong, isn't that right? To prove who else wrong? Mrs. Skywalker, Master Kenobi, your moth-" "Don't," Anakin cut in, "talk about my mother." "Why not?" a confused Palpatine asked. Anakin forgot that the Emperor had no idea about his mother's death. No one did except for his wife, the Lars', and his two trusty droids. "My mother passed away two years ago," Anakin answered. "I'm still having trouble accepting her death. I couldn't save her, but I promised I would never fail her." "I'm sorry, Anakin," Palpatine agreed. "But how wonderful an experience this is, to prove to your mother that you won't fail. You can be the person who will single-handedly save the galaxy." Anakin had to smile at that. His mother would be so proud of him if she saw him right then. Anakin could almost picture himself delivering the designs to the Emperor, with crowds cheering his name, and Padme running into his waiting arms. He didn't need anymore convincing. "When do we start?" Anakin asked Palpatine. "Now," he answered.  
  
CHAPTER XXI  
  
The Jedi Temple was quiet. Yoda had departed a few hours ago and Mace had shut down the lights in the council's chamber. It had never been darker. From afar the temple blended in with all of the buildings. With a few lights hear and there on it, it looked like a normal building. Inside, Mace sat in his apartment writing in his journal. He wrote everyday in it. As a matter of fact, this was his 58th journal. He started when he became a Jedi Apprentice at the age of twelve. He never would forget the day when he was training and was called by Master Yoda to meet his new Master. It was a glorious day. Mace remembered how alive the temple was then. Then, Jedi were all over the place. It almost overran with them, he chuckled to himself. But those times were gone, and maybe would return. For now, Mace continued to write while the rest of the Temple was quiet. Three Jedi walked around the temple separately, meditating on what was happening in the Republic. Only one was in the library, reading up on what comforted her most. Another practiced his lightsaber techniques, taking on three training remotes at a time. Two sat talking to one another on a flight of steps leading to the archives. The other one was asleep; battling her nightmares, which was the only way to get rid of them. However, in an exclusive section of the temple, Obi-Wan sat in an apartment staring off into the distance. The night sky was still alive with traffic, but the streets weren't. Crime had gone up tenfold ever since the Clone Wars began. The streets seemed dirtier, the air thicker with pollution, and the people crueler. Obi-Wan would know, for at times when he wasn't fighting in the war, he visited some places that he went to as a kid. Dex's Diner, Grendle's Club or Trewtek's Station were some of the many places he loved to revisit. They brought back so many memories, but lacked the kindness and friendship he once had with the patrons. Obi-Wan knew that Republic was crumbling, and that if something weren't done to fix it, it would be replaced. He hoped that day would never come. But the one thing that was stuck in his mind was Anakin. Ever since he left Dooku's ship, he prayed that his Apprentice had escaped in time. He knew that it was a bad idea to have him participate in the mission. His training wasn't complete, and he was way too impatient. Obi-Wan hoped that one day he might learn his place in the galaxy, and not give into his anger. Ever since Obi-Wan began Anakin's training, the boy always had anger with him. About seven years ago, when Anakin was fourteen, the two were interrogating a Rodian on Rodia who participated in the assassination of a Senator. Anakin's blood was boiling ever since the tough Rodian spit at him at the beginning of the interrogation. As it continued, Anakin demanded answers and wasn't getting them. A few minutes later, Anakin hit the Rodian across the face sending him falling onto the floor. His hit cut the creatures face badly. As Obi-Wan tried to wake the unconscious Rodian, Anakin stormed out of the room with blood on his hand. That memory was one of the many that were stored in the back of Obi- Wan's brain. He hated to remember the bad ones, but there were still plenty of good ones.  
  
While Obi-Wan remembered moments with Anakin, a small speeder pulled away from the traffic and approached the Jedi Temple. It was very small and sleek, with a tail jutting out of the back. It was completely back, and if it weren't for the two headlights, it would be impossible to see in the night sky. It landed on the special platform that Mace and Obi-Wan had landed earlier. As the speeder's cockpit silently opened a figure got out. It quickly ran over to Anakin's ship and pulled a device out of its pocket. At a press of a button, R2-D2 woke up from its shut down mode and turned its head to the dark figure. The blue droid began whistling and beeping very loud to announce an intruder. As it did that, the dark figure came out of the shadows and tried to quiet the droid. The droid shut up as soon as he recognized the person. It was Anakin. "Quiet down, Artoo," Anakin said. "You need to come with me." R2 whistled, "OK" and slid out of the Jedi Starfighter. He rolled over to Anakin and started bumping him, showing that he missed him. "Okay, okay," Anakin laughed, pushing the droid away. "I need you to record a message for me." R2 beeped and began recording Anakin's message.  
  
Obi-Wan left the window and sat over on the bed. He closed his eyes and began meditating. Not soon enough did he open his eyes and jump up from the bed. He grabbed his lightaber and ran out the door. Obi-Wan sprinted up the stairs to the landing platform. Sensing an intruder he ignited his lightsaber and ran out to the platform to find no one. Nothing was there but the two Jedi Starfighters he and Mace arrived in earlier. Turning away and shaking his head, Obi-Wan thought he was just imagining things. As he reached the door, he turned to look at Anakin's ship to find R2 missing. He ran over to it, to see if he was just imagining things. Upon closer inspection, he saw tracks made by the droid go to an empty spot. The empty spot had a black stain on it made from the exhaust of a speeder. As Obi-Wan thought about the speeder mark and the missing droid, he smiled to himself and said, "Anakin." At that, he went back into the Temple knowing that his Apprentice was still alive.  
  
In Padme's apartment, Dorme was the only one awake. She had been lying in her bed the past few hours thinking of two things. Padme's sadness was not only affecting Padme, but also Dorme. She always responded to Padme's feelings. Ever since they were little, the two played together, cried together, and laughed together. But these times were the saddest Dorme had ever seen Padme. Before Padme fell asleep, she heard her crying to herself. Sobbing Anakin's name, until the word had no more meaning and she fell asleep. C-3PO asked Dorme if he should go and comfort Padme, but she said not to. One thing Dorme learned from the rusted droid was that he wasn't very good with human emotions. The other thing that was in Dorme's mind was another person: Bail Organa. The man was not as important to her as Padme, but she still thought of him whenever she got the chance. He would always be on her mind, no matter what happened.  
  
Meanwhile, outside of the living room, the same black speeder that had arrived at the Jedi Temple, hovered and a device came out splitting the security field protecting the window glass. When the assassination attempts began on Padme years ago, the security field was installed in order for protection. But even though those times had passed and she didn't live there, the shield remained. As the device finished splitting the shield, it then removed the glass. The speeder then backed up to the open window and the tail lowered revealing R2 rolling out into the living room. When the droid landed, the ship turned around and Anakin jumped from the ship into the room. He landed with total silence and was sure to put his finger up to his mouth to silence R2. As the droid remained in the living room, Anakin walked to his wife's bedroom. He walked down the carpeted hallway he had done years ago. Those years ago, when he saw Padme for the first time in ten years. He never forgot that day, for it was as if he saw her for the first time again. Back then Padme didn't share the same feelings that Anakin felt for her. She probably couldn't have, for Anakin's love for her was so strong, it couldn't be described. When Anakin reached Padme's bedroom, he stopped dead in his tracks. Right then he remembered how beautiful she was when she slept. Her eyes were closed gently and her face was emotionless. Anakin walked closer to Padme and watched as she shifted her position in bed to face him. The sheet was covering her up to her arms. Her right arm stretched over to the empty spot on the bed. She was still asleep, but it didn't matter to Anakin. She was alive enough by just lying there. It had seemed so long since Anakin had seen Padme. As Anakin looked at her hand on the empty spot on the bed, imagined lying there. He would be right next to her, when there wouldn't be a worry in the world. At that thought, Anakin sat on the bed next to her and touched her empty hand. Grabbing it, he pulled it to his mouth and kissed it gently. He held it to his mouth and whispered, "I'll be right back." Anakin leaned forward and kissed Padme gently on the forehead. Before he a tear rolled down his face, he stood up and walked out of the bedroom, not looking back.  
  
As Anakin's speeder flew off, R2 rolled to window, watching. As the speeder turned around a building and disappeared, the blue droid let out a sad noise. It then turned around and proceeded into Padme's bedroom. When it entered, it approached the sleeping Padme. When R2 looked closer, he saw a single tear roll down her face and hit a pillow. Until she would wake up, R2 stayed in the corner of the room, thinking of all the stories he was going to tell C-3PO.  
  
The sun shined through Padme's bedroom windows waking her up. She stayed in the same position as her eyes moved around the room. She had had the most realistic dream about Anakin. She dreamed he came and visited her. He was sitting right next to her, holding her hand. He even kissed it. A smile came over Padme's face when she thought of that. As she remembered her dream, R2 gave out a whistle and came out from the corner. A shocked look went over Padme as she exclaimed, "Artoo! What are you doing here?!" The droid answered with a few beeps and then it activated the hologram. A hologram of Anakin was produced. Padme's face showed happiness and shock as she saw her husband standing before her. It was a life size hologram, and except for the flickering, it was an accurate image of Anakin. The hologram smiled at Padme, and she smiled back with tears in her eyes. "Hello, Padme," Anakin's hologram began. "Please don't worry, I'm perfectly fine. Oh, but Padme, I miss you so much. So much. I want you to know that this war will end. And I will return to you. It will be great. The Republic will be restored, the galaxy will be safer, and we'll be together forever. I know I promised I would return earlier, but there is one more thing I need to do. Please forgive me, but the Emperor himself has positioned me to lead a mission to the planet Nkllon. I shall leave in three weeks, but the Emperor himself wanted me to train with a new group of soldiers called storm troopers. They are to replace the Republic's remaining clone troopers, which are also going with me, but just a few. To let you know where I've been, I was just on Nkllon fighting with the Jedi. I'm sorry to say that only a few survived. This war is killing the Jedi, and I want it to end. But more importantly I want to be with you. I never want to leave you again. I will always love you. You know that, don't you? I'll be right back." With that, the hologram shook with static and went out. R2 gave out a worried noise and turned its head to Padme. She sat on the bed, with the covers pulled up to her chin. Her face was at first happy to see Anakin, even if it were a hologram, but now it was a face of fear and worry. Outside the window, it began to storm. Lightning crashed and thunder rumbled off in the distance. It hadn't rained on Coruscant for over one hundred years. Padme turned to the window to see the rain. She felt this had to be an omen. She knew something was wrong with this mission. Just like all of the ones in past, she thought. Maybe Anakin will die. She didn't want to think about that. She knew that there was only one person she could talk to. She just hoped he wasn't killed.  
  
CHAPTER XXII  
  
Obi-Wan stood in the lift taking its way to Padme's apartment. He looked at the detail and colors of the pod. The last time he was in it was over a two years ago with his apprentice. A little smile formed on Obi-Wan's face as he remembered that day. It wasn't a big day for Obi-Wan, just meeting with the Senator from Naboo to talk about protection from assassination attempts. However, it was one of the biggest days of Anakin's life. While they were traveling back from Ansion, meeting Padme was all Anakin was thinking about. He couldn't hide the fact that he had feelings for her. Obi- Wan didn't agree with Padme being on Anakin's mind all the time. She would cloud his mind and not let him focus on the Force. His mind would always wander if Padme were on it. But that day, those years ago, when the elevator rose to Padme's apartment, Obi-Wan had to tease his apprentice. Anakin was sweating and shaking ever since they arrived on Coruscant. Just at the mention of Padme, Anakin began to shake and a few drops of sweat would form on his forehead. Strange how Anakin showed great bravery when facing gundarks or chasing a speeder, but when it came to a woman, he was the biggest coward, Obi-Wan thought. A few beeps woke Obi-Wan out of his daydream and made him realize that he had arrived at the penthouse. He walked out of the elevator and was not greeted by anyone. As he turned his head either way, he walked further into the apartment. When he reached the main room, he heard voices off into the distance. He walked by a few pieces of furniture and proceeded down the curving hallway to the bedroom. When he arrived he saw Padme lying in bed watching a hologram. The hologram depicted a human taller than Obi-Wan. The figure was broad and wore a long robe. Obi-Wan could hear the voice very well, but as he entered the room he realized it was Anakin. A smile formed on his face to see that his apprentice was alive and well. He shook his head, thinking that he shouldn't have thought that Anakin couldn't survive a fight like they experienced. But as Obi-Wan listened to Anakin's message, he realized that he was talking about Padme. He turned to Padme in the bed, who was hugging the covers with tears in her eyes. A few more moments passed until the hologram faded. Padme sniffled a little bit and told R2 to repeat it. The droid began to do so as Padme leaned over to the side of the bed Obi-Wan was standing at to get a tissue for her face. When she saw the Jedi standing there, she gasped and pulled her hand back to her covers. It took a few seconds later for Padme to realize that it was Obi-Wan. "Oh, Obi-Wan!" she exclaimed. "Thank you for coming." "You're quite welcome, m'lady," he stated. "I do hope you're feeling alright." "Yes, I'm fine. Why do you ask?" "Well the sun has just set and you are still in bed. You are all right, aren't you?" "Yes, yes," Padme answered. "Don't worry about me. But thank you so much for coming so quickly." A frown formed on Obi-Wan's face when he heard that. "I'm sorry?" he asked. "Well I did contact you not too long ago," Padme said. "M'lady, you contacted me three weeks ago." A look of shock went over Padme's face upon hearing this. "What did you say?" "You contacted me three weeks ago," Obi-Wan began. "I arrived that day, but your handmaiden, Dorme, told me that you were sick in bed. Dorme told me she would contact me when you feel better. Don't you remember being sick?" "I.don't." Padme muttered to herself. While she was trying to remember, Dorme walked in with C-3PO carrying a tray with medication on it.  
  
"Obi-Wan!" Dorme said. "Thank you so much for coming! I told you she would be about sometime." "What is happening Dorme?" Padme asked. "I've been unconscious for three weeks?" "You have, m'lady," Dorme said. "I'm sorry, but you had just woken up when I called Obi-Wan. I figured you needed to talk to him badly." "I do, I do," Padme repeated to herself, while pondering that she had been asleep for three weeks. "Dorme, would you excuse us, please?" "Yes, m'lady," Dorme said with a bow and left the room with 3PO following. When the handmaiden and the droid left, Padme ordered, "Play it, Artoo." After a whistle and a beep, the hologram of Anakin started. Obi-Wan listened to the message for Padme and asked, "How old is this?" "This is the part," Padme answered, wanting Obi-Wan to listen to a certain spot. ".the Emperor himself has positioned me to lead a mission to the planet Nkllon," the hologram said. "I shall leave in three weeks, but the Emperor himself wanted me to train with a new group of soldiers called storm troopers. They are to." "Pause it, Artoo," interrupted Padme. R2 beeped a response and Anakin's hologram froze in place. Nkllon? Obi-Wan thought. "I didn't know I was so late to tell you." She kept her eyes on Anakin's face as she continued. "But you know what I'm going to ask you, don't you?" "Yes, I do," Obi-Wan responded. "But you have to understand that it is dangerous. Practically the rest of the Jedi died there at the Battle of Nkllon. People have called it "the final battle, for the end of the Republic". Obi-Wan sighed as he remembered reading an article in the Holonet News, listing all of the Jedi that had died. "You have to save him! I know something's wrong! I've never felt this much pain before! You have to save him! Please!" She moved over to Obi-Wan and hugged him. Her head only came to his chest as she sobbed, "He is going to die.please, save him. He needs to know." "Know what?" Obi-Wan asked. Tears rolled down the Jedi's robes. As Padme's arms pulled Obi-Wan tighter, he only could comfort her by putting his hands on her back. As the sobbing continued, Obi-Wan realized that tears had never touched his robe.  
  
CHAPTER XXIII  
  
The ship rocked with great force as it was hit by a ball of fire, shot out from a nearby volcano. There were a few holes in the ship, but they didn't matter. It was the largest military ship the Republic had. When the number of clones thinned out, the ships became emptier and emptier. Facing a debt issue, the Emperor decided to sell them to Kaut of Kaut Drive Yards. With the funding, he set up new recruiting agency. This idea was not agreed by the Coalition to Protect the Republic, but they were for the idea for clones to be produced on Kaimino. Senators turned to side with the Emperor's "new army", when the fact arose that the Jango Fett, the template, had been killed. However, the CPR found out from Kaimino's database that an exact replica of Jango was made, but no one had heard of him since the battle of Geonosis. All the Senate knew was that this exact clone was named Boba and that he was long gone from Kaimino. When the CPR learned that the boy was missing, they knew that they had failed again at going against the Emperor's ideas. Since the CPR's plans had failed, the Emperor and the rest of the Senate agreed upon new weaponry for the Republic. Due to low spending for training the newest armies, the Senate agreed that the rest of the money should be spent towards ships and weapons. Anakin was very happy with the new soldiers. He had gotten to know many of them in the past few weeks during his training. He had actually made a few friends. Dagrith Kolter was from Tatooine and he and Anakin hit it off immediately. The two shared the same ideas for the Republic and thought that the Emperor was a genius. Dagrith had a girlfriend back on Tatooine and planned on getting married when returning. Whenever he spoke of her, Anakin wasn't listening. All he could think about was his own love in life: Padme. He never told Dagrith he was married. He did tell him he was a Jedi and would be the leading commander in this mission, and he figured if he said he was married, it would show a careless Jedi. Anakin didn't know why, but he didn't want anyone to think he was careless. If lying about his marriage made people think he was strong and determined, then so be it. He wasn't ashamed about lying because he knew that he truly loved Padme, and that's what really mattered. The ship took another hit from the flying fire and shook it a bit. Anakin gritted his teeth as he hit his head on a metal bar near his head. As he rubbed the bump on his head, he looked at the five hundred storm troopers and clone troopers standing in perfect formation in the enormous room. The ship was smaller than those that carried the clones. It was in fact dwarfed by the size of the original ship. This ship was designed to carry six hundred and was still cramped with the five hundred that were in it now. Another hit from outside the ship caused Anakin to hit his head again on the metal bar. Anger built in him and breathing very heavily, he ripped the bar right out of its place on the wall. A few of the storm troopers saw him do this and whispered to each other about the strength in this young Jedi. As Anakin repeated the mission in his head, a voice came over a speaker announcing, "Destination arrival in thirty seconds." Anakin stood up tall as he heard that voice. "You hear that!" he shouted to his fellow soldiers. "We've been waiting for this moment for the past three weeks! I don't want anyone to die out there! This part of the mission requires the first hundred! Are you ready?" "YES, SIR!" the first hundred soldiers screamed. Some of them were storm troopers and others were clone troopers. From a distance they all looked the same. They all had white armor, but the only thing that differed were the helmets. The clone troopers' helmets followed the design of Jango Fett's, while the storm troopers' helmets were more of a gas mask design. They had two black spaces for the eyes and holes coming from the sides to the front. The armor matched almost identically, with the storm troopers having more things to access on their belt. One thing that Anakin noticed as he stared at the approaching one hundred soldiers, they were all the same height. It seemed that the Republic recruited men of all the same height and build. Anakin shook the observations out of his head as the ship landed. The landing was rough, as the ground broke apart. The doors to the ship opened and Anakin and the one hundred soldiers stormed out onto the black rock. Anakin looked all around him to find volcanoes erupting in the distance. He stared through the smoke in the distance to see the droid factory on the edge of a cliff. As Anakin waved for the troops to follow, he stared off into the distance to see a large mass moving towards him. The smoke grew thicker and thicker and the droid factory was hidden. "Move in with caution!" Anakin shouted as he and the troops moved in. The drop-off ship sat where it had landed. When the platoon arrived to the shield of smoke, Anakin gave the signal for everyone to stop. "Those of you with the smoke vision, give a report!" Anakin ordered. A few clone troopers pressed the side of their helmets to see through the smoke. As soon as they activated their sight, they immediately pulled their weapons to fire. At that moment, hundreds of shots fired through the smoke. The front line was shot down and the rear scattered for cover. Anakin dived behind a large boulder and activated his lightsaber. He shook his head in disbelief. Palpatine told him that it would be a surprise attack on the CIS, and that they would have no idea that Anakin would be there. As Anakin looked to see where his platoon stood, literally half of them lay on the ground dead. The others were either being shot down or hiding behind boulders, waiting for their chance. Anakin grabbed his comlink and shouted for reinforcements. At that command, he saw a white blob pour out of the ship, in the distance. The white blob became clearer and the clone troopers and storm troopers blazed away at the battle droids, which were charging out of the smoke. Anakin smiled as he knew he wouldn't fail this mission.  
  
CHAPTER XXIV  
  
On Coruscant, the Senate had its first session in over two weeks. The dispute between Palpatine and Bail drew much attention from the viewing public, and now Senate sessions have a small audience at the top of the chamber. A little over two hundred Coruscant citizens were staring from the top window with hopes that a large argument would break out, which would be the highlight of their day. But today was different than expected. Emperor Palpatine stood up to address the Senate. Voices were heard discussing the previous session as anyone could guess. Palpatine stood for only a few seconds until the voices faded out. Looking over the Senators, Palpatine had to smile, for so many of them were friends of him. Practically everyone that wasn't in the CPR was his friend, but those who were in the CPR were low in numbers. Palpatine shook away his smirk and raised his hand to make a point. "Before I begin, I am fortunate say that Senator Organa will not be wasting our time today," Palpatine stated. Bail Organa called in sick earlier that morning, and didn't bother to have a replacement fill in for him. Feigned laughs came from the Senate hall. Jar Jar Binks looked at those who were laughing and frowned at how pathetic they were. "But on a serious matter, I would like to state the present status on our fight against the CIS: they are finished." A large round of applause followed the Emperor's news. Palpatine "attempted" to calm it down. "Please, please my fellow Senators. It is not me you should be thanking, but rather the bravery of a Jedi." A few Senators whispered Jedi? to each other. For the past few weeks, Palpatine had nothing good to say about the Jedi. Enough to encourage everyone to object their services. "Yes, yes, a Jedi. A Jedi by the name of Anakin Skywalker. This young man has proved himself to be the most worthy person I know of caring for the Republic. He is brave, cunning, and head-strong. I have awarded him in the past, and had the opportunity to position him as the leader of the last mission of the Clone Wars. I spoke of this last time, and I repeat: when Anakin completes this mission with the remaining clone troopers, and our new legion of storm troopers, he will have saved the Republic from ultimate doom!" The Senate again erupts in applause and loud cheers come from different areas. From over the loud cheering and applause, a Senator tries to get the Emperor's attention. "Emperor! Emperor!" Jar Jar shouts over the applause. He repeats it many times trying to get his attention. But after repeating time after time, other Senators do the same. A few seconds later, and the entire Senate is cheering, "Emperor! Emperor!" Jar Jar does nothing but sit down in his seat sighing and putting his chin on his hand. He turned to his bodyguard, Captain Typho. The captain sat there shaking his head at the cheering. He had attended every Senate hearing that Jar Jar had for the past two and a half years. Through all of that time, he noticed how the corruption grew and grew. He sometimes referred to Palpatine as a puppet-master and all the Senators were his own marionettes. Jar Jar thought that was a great analogy and used it once or twice if a debate broke out. Out of the entire Senate, Jar Jar was one of the best debaters. Aside from pronouncing words, which he was mocked for at times, Jar Jar had made a great Senator. No one would have guessed, not even himself, when Padme asked him those years ago to replace her as the Senator of Naboo. The gungans had moved up since the Battle of Naboo. Back then they were considered nothing by the Naboo, but after the battle they received citizenship. The Senate finally died down from the applause and Jar Jar used this moment to voice his concern. "Emperor Palpatine!" he shouted over the remaining Senators' cheers. When he shouted, Palpatine looked up at the Senator and the remaining Senators stooped their noise. "The chair recognizes Senator Jar Jar Binks of the planet Naboo," Mas Amedda stated to the Senate. Palpatine stared coldly at Jar Jar, who cleared his throat as he began to speak. "Fellogates of de Senate, I can't believa thissa. Those years ago, mesa proposed emergency powers to di Chancellor. Those powers are not inneeda anymoresa. Thisa war wesa been fighting has not been helpedid by di Emperor. Insteada, it has been continuedid by di Emperor. Disa Jedi are what keep da Republic stable. But di Emperor's decisionions have eliminateed any hopey of restoring da Republic. All of you outta theresa that support him, are just as corrupt and deceiving as he isa. As I have warneda before, I have nosa choicea, but to stepa downa from my position in de Senate." Gasps came from the chamber, but so did a little applause, as Jar Jar grabbed his Senate medallion he was awarded a year ago by the Emperor, and threw it down on his pod floor. His pod glided back into its space, and the now former Senator and Captain Typho walked out. When the door closed behind them, everyone began discussing with each other. The talking grew louder and louder. It grew so loud, that some Senators began fighting with each other. Screaming and chaos began in the Senate chamber. "ORDER! WE WILL HAVE ORDER!" Mas shouted. He looked all around to see Senators shouting, some throwing little objects from their pods at each other. As Mas tried to settle everyone down, all Palpatine did was watch the empty pod of Jar Jar. Anger boiled inside of him from the Senator that created a huge ruckus in Palpatine's Senate chamber. With Jar Jar still on his mind he leaned over to Sly Moore and commanded, "Bring me my shuttle." She responded with a nod and grabbed her comlink.  
  
CHAPTER XXV  
  
It had been nearly an hour of fighting, and Anakin and his platoon were getting closer to the factory. They had gotten through the smoke that had blinded most of them from the marching battle droids. Anakin thought it strange that the smoke just stayed at one section of this enormous cliff they were on. Lava ran all around them, but it was over one hundred feet below them. The cliff was falling apart. Some troopers stepped too close to the edge and the ground below them just cracked and fell apart like a burnt piece of wood. What a great place for a factory, Anakin thought. When only a few droids remained, Anakin looked off at the near factory to find nothing but lava stretching below it for miles and miles. He had never seen something so grand. It reminded him of Tatooine; when the suns would be setting, the distance would look like a lake of lava. He remembered the colors from when he was a boy: the colors of the suns as they rose or set, the color of the mountains and rock formations when he was searching for his moth---. Anakin immediately shook the thought from his head. A tear almost came out of his eye, but he growled and charged the six remaining droids. The troopers stopped firing as he came into their range. Anakin sliced down on the first one, cutting it in half. He then jumped forward twirling his lightsaber in a circle, cutting the heads off of three. And then he used the Force to knock one right into the other. The two droids sat dazed, with one sitting on the other. Their weapons had been knocked away and they sat there with sparks coming out of their necks. Anakin walked up to them and started swinging. He sliced their heads off, but didn't stop there. He continued by slicing their arms, torsos, and legs until all that remained were little heaps of black, burnt metal. Anakin panted hard after slicing them up and looked at the remaining troops. The remaining platoon consisted of eighteen soldiers. This was the fourth platoon Anakin had gone through, while marching up to the factory. He couldn't believe he went through so many, but then again he turned to look at the ship that he arrived in which was nearly half a mile away. He saw its silver sides and the trail of white armored troopers lying on the ground in front of it all the way up to him. Anakin looked at his remaining troopers and shouted for them to organize. "Alright, to let everyone know, it should be gravy from here," he began, but then a sudden rumble began, and a loud screeching sound filled everyone's ears. Some of the soldiers threw off their helmets to plug their ears from the unbearable sound. A few storm troopers screamed as the sound grew louder and louder and louder. It grew until a thunderous explosion of lava shot out from around them. The lava landed on the ground, and due to its frailty, it just ate right through it. Some of it landed on the troopers and burned right through their armor to their flesh. Screams of pain filled the air along with the explosions of the sea of lava deep below them. Anakin looked in horror to see his friend, Dagrith, holding his ears in pain from the sound, get hit square in the face from a ball of lava. Anakin screamed at his friend who fell down on the ground with little bits of the lava splashing and burning through him. With only a few troopers remaining, Anakin had no choice but to abandon his men. He looked around and found a large domed boulder. He ran towards it at high speed, hoping not to be hit with the raining lava. He dived over bits of metal and white armor, until he tripped on a rock. He dived with skill and regained his footing only to be nearly hit by a flaming rock. The rock sent bits of lava from it as it flew by Anakin. As Anakin continued to run, his arm caught on fire due to lava that had landed in and on his sleeve. As soon as he made to the boulder, Anakin ripped off his smoking, right sleeve. To his horror, the lava had burned through parts of his metal arm. He tried to cool the spots by blowing on the holes. He could only count five burnt spots on the arm. He flexed and stretched it in order to find any damages with it. After finding none, he took off his black glove. His hand remained unharmed from the flying lava. He put his black glove back on and watched as the eruptions from below settled down. A few minutes had passed since the last bit of lava had fallen, and Anakin came out from his safe spot. He looked around to see troopers with burnt holes in the chests or arms. Smoke slowly rose from those spots filling the smoky air with burning flesh. As Anakin carefully jumped from spot to spot in order to avoid sitting lava and the open gaps in the cliff, he made it to his friend Dagrith's body. Or what was left of it. All what remained were bits of melted armor, incased around a smoking body. The head of Dagrith was nothing but a skull, with the mouth open to the sky. Anakin looked tearfully at his friend and closed his eyes. He tried to feel his spirit through the Force, but too much was traveling through his head at the moment. Anakin stood up and looked at the droid factory. I will not fail, he told himself as he walked towards the factory. He grabbed his comlink and ordered the ship to travel to the factory for reinforcements. When no one responded, he continued ordering until he shouted at it and threw it off the cliff. He began to run to the ship fearing the worst. When its landing space came into view, nothing was there. In fact the landing space was gone as well, burnt away from the lava. A shiver went through Anakin as he feared he was alone on this cliff, surrounded by a sea of lava, and at the remaining factory for the CIS. He decided to devote his time to meditation as he sat down. He began to have a clear vision of Padme. She sat alone in a chair on Naboo. Her face was wrinkled and her hair had turned gray. Tears rolled slowly down her face as she stared at a grave marked: ANAKIN SKYWALKER. Fear shot through Anakin's body again as a black-gloved hand came up from the ground in front of the tombstone. It reached for Padme, who jumped up screaming. The hand began to grip the ground and pull the rest of its body out. The full body came out of Anakin's grave. It had a black and red tattooed face, similar to the dead Sith, Darth Maul. Wait, Anakin thought, it is Darth Maul! The Sith came out of the grave and reached for a lightsaber. Run, Padme! Run! A red blade shot out from the handle. Anakin looked closely at the lightsaber and saw that it was Count Dooku's. The old, curved handle fit perfectly into the Sith's hand. As a screaming Padme stared at the Sith, another figure jumped into the scene. He wielded a blue lightsaber and sliced the arm off of the Sith. Anakin smiled, as he knew the hero figure was him, protecting Padme. But as the figure turned to Padme, it was Obi-Wan. He smiled at Padme, who smiled back. He looked much older than Padme, with white hair and wrinkles covering his face. He lifted Padme up and the two embraced in a kiss. Not just a kiss, but a kiss of love. Anakin shouted in horror at this vision. Tears rolled down his face as he saw his master and wife together. But the vision turned away from the embraced two and focused on the dead Sith. As it moved up the dead body, Anakin saw that it had a Jedi belt and cloak. Stranger was that the arm that was cut off was metallic. But what was worse was the lightsaber it was holding. It wasn't Count Dooku's, but Anakin's. The metal hand gripped it strongly, and Anakin could see the detail matched his own. But to Anakin's horror, as he stared at the face, expecting to see a red and black tattooed one, he stared back at his own. His eyes were completely black and empty. His facial expression was one of betrayal and anger. His face was completely white and did not have any hair. Instead, it had a long cut on the top of the head, and some burn wounds on the left cheek. As Anakin didn't think it could get any worse, his body in the vision opened its mouth and took in a loud, rough, and coarse breath and let it out. This frightened Anakin more than anything, and he woke from the vision with tears in his eyes and sweat pouring down his forehead. He didn't know what any of it meant. All he did know is that he hoped it would never come true. Anakin looked back to the factory and knew what he had to do. He stood up and charged forward, but immediately fell down. What's going on? he thought. He stood up to find himself chained around the waist and around his hands. The chains were about five feet long and all were locked into a space right behind him. With all of his strength, he pulled at the chains, trying to break them. He then used the Force to try to open the lock keeping the chains on the ground. Focusing very hard on them, he didn't notice the figure walking out of the smoke in front of him. "The Force cannot help you, young Skywalker," said the hidden figure. Anakin gasped at the voice and stared into the smoky distance. "Who are you?" Anakin asked. "Show yourself!" "Very well," answered the figure. From the smoke came Count Dooku. He was wearing his usual black outfit, but donned a black hood. He walked closer to Anakin, but stayed back enough so the Jedi couldn't reach him. "What are you doing here?" he asked rhetorically. "Come to capture me? Come to take back for questioning, my dear Jedi?" He laughs at his suggestions. But his smile immediately disappears as he states, "Or maybe you've come to kill me." Anakin does nothing, but stare at the evilness before him. "Why do you do this to yourself? Chasing something you can't catch. Always looking off into the distance. Hoping that someday you will find that one adventure that will prove who you are. That one adventure that you will conquer and prove to everyone that you are the Chosen One. The one who will bring balance to the Force." Anakin stared at Dooku, remembering someone saying that to him. "Sound familiar, Skywalker? Something Master Yoda once said. My Master. The Master who told me I could be the One. The One who will be the most powerful Jedi ever. The Jedi who will bring balance to the Force. The balance that can only exist with equal Sith and Jedi. And when that balance forms, the Sith will break it. And then the Jedi will be no more, and the Sith will be forever." Anakin remained staring at Dooku. "What you don't understand is that the Si---" Dooku was cut off as a small explosion that sent bits of fire and ash to where he and Anakin were. The ash missed Dooku, but hit Anakin's right hand. It burned through the glove and the metal. It continued burning down his hand, as bits of flaming glove landed on his leg, burning him. He growled in pain from the burning, and tried as hard as he could to shake it away. "Oh, poor Jedi," Dooku said. "Burning can hurt at times. But you must remember not to accept the pain. Let it become one with the Force." He laughed again at his sarcasm. "I thought that the Chosen One wouldn't even feel pain." Another laugh. "You have to understand, Skywalker. You are nothing. You're not worthy of being a Jedi. You never were and never will be." Dooku stared at the Jedi in pain from the burning, and turned away. "This will mark the beginning of the balance. My master and I have a few more Jedi in the galaxy to take care of before the balance is complete. Sorry, dear Skywalker, but you're not the final Jedi to complete the balance. You're nothing." As Dooku walked back to the droid factory, Anakin chuckled, "You're mistaken." Turning around, Dooku asked, "Really?" "There's a few things you're not noticing, Dooku," Anakin stated. "Oh, and what are they?" Dooku asked. "I am a Jedi," Anakin stated. "And I am the Chosen One." With that Anakin screamed and threw his now freed right arm toward Dooku. At the end of the arm, Anakin held part of the chain. The chain whipped Dooku right across the face and sent him falling across the ground. He landed on a rock jutting out of the ground and grabbed his back in pain. As Anakin smiled at his cleverness, he eyed his lightsaber on Dooku's belt. With the Force, he grabbed it and called it to him. He was lucky that the fiery ash that ran down his hand reached the first chain, and burned right through it. He used his lightsaber to slice through the remaining chains. He cut the rings off of his wrists and around his waist. He then got into his Jedi position awaiting Dooku's attack. But to his surprise Dooku was gone. Anakin ran up to the factory casting a blue glow to the surrounding. When the front gate came into Anakin's view, rumbling began as and the ground from underneath him broke apart. Not being able to escape it, Anakin went with it. He got hit by rocks and hot pieces of coal. Instead of falling the one hundred feet to the lava, Anakin grabbed a hold of the edge of the cliff. Holding on for dear life, Anakin looked below to see the lava bubbling and beginning to explode. Focusing on the Force, he attempted to jump up onto the cliff. But with death so close to him he couldn't. As the lava began to slightly explode reaching twenty feet below Anakin, his robotic hand began to slip. The rock his hand is holding onto begins to break apart, and Anakin tried all he could to pull himself up. When trying to pull himself up, the rock broke completely. But before Anakin fell two inches, he felt something grab him. A hand pulled him up by his arm. Then a second hand grabbed his other hand. Anakin looked up to see someone he would never had guessed to see. It was Obi-Wan.  
  
CHAPTER XXVI  
  
Padme had been in her bedroom for over three weeks. Most of that time she had been asleep. But when she wasn't, she thought of Anakin. The days that had gone by weren't days anymore, but periods of time. There were no days or nights for Padme, but just time. There were no mornings or evenings, just time. There were no happy or sad moments, but an everlasting moment, where the one thing that Padme waited for would never come. As Padme sat in her bed staring off into the distance, Dorme came into the room with a small box in her hands. She stopped as Padme stared straight at her, unblinking. "Are you feeling better, m'lady?" Dorme asked. No response, just staring. "I have a private line to the Emperor's office," Dorme said, as she walked over to Padme's side, handing her the box. "Thank you, Dorme," Padme said in a monotone voice. She took the box and set it on her lap. She pressed two oval shaped buttons and turned a small knob. At that moment, a hologram popped up of Sly Moore. The bald, pale woman showed no facial expression of any kind when she said, "How can I be of service?" Padme of course didn't show it, but she always was a bit frightened by this woman. When she was a Senator, Padme always got a chill when she was in Palpatine's office, and Sly would just stand off in the background. She would stare into space forever, thinking of who knows what. "I'm looking for Emperor Palpatine, please," Padme stated. "I need to talk to him about my husband." "Ah, yes," answered Sly. "Anakin Skywalker. The Excellency has spoken very highl-" "Where is he?" Padme interrupted. Sly responded with a hard, cold stare. She hardly ever spoke but hated to be interrupted. "He has left for an.urgent call." "What does that mean?" Padme asked. "I'm not at liberty to say," Sly responded. Padme then returned Sly with a hard, cold stare. "Very well, when he gets in call me," Padme ordered. "Yes, m'la-" Sly said, but Padme cut the message off quickly. "Dreadful woman," Dorme said.  
  
Outside the Emperor's office Sly stood at the hologram projector with a blank face. How dare she do that to me, she thought. As anger built up in the woman, she calmed herself. She smiled to herself. Enjoy the memories of your husband, the "great" Anakin Skywalker, sweetie, while they last. There was nothing Sly loved more, than knowing something that others didn't.  
  
Anakin coughed loudly as he inhaled a large amount of smoke. He fell on his knees coughing and gasping for clean air. He even forgot who it was that pulled him up from the edge of the cliff. He looked in front of him to see Jedi boots in front of him. As he scanned up the figure, he pointed out the belt, the robe, and the lightsaber. He knew who it was now. "Obi-Wan.I can't breathe," Anakin gasped while on all fours. The Jedi Master pulled something from his belt and shoved it into Anakin's mouth. "Slow breaths, Anakin," Obi-Wan instructed. "Do you hear me?" Anakin nodded while breathing into a trapezoid shaped box. The breathing was a deep, wheezing sound that gave Obi-Wan chills just listening to it. "The sulfur here is poisoning your lungs," he explained. "If you were here for over an hour without clean air, you'd probably die. Looks like we were just in time." Obi-Wan chuckled. "W...w.weee?" Anakin gasped. Obi-Wan nodded and pointed behind him. Anakin looked and saw Bail Organa in his battle gear. He had heavy boots on and a white Alderaan army suit. He was armed with an Alderaan blast rifle that he held with both hands. "Have you ever seen something like that?" Obi-Wan asked, pointing at Bail. Anakin shook his head with a smile on it. "If you two are discussing my battle attire, I would like to address the point that I am a full fledged commander of the Republic," Bail stated. "Hey, we know Bail," Obi-Wan said. He turned back to Anakin. "Are you good?" Anakin nodded and Obi-Wan pulled the breathing device away from him. "Do you know why I'm here?" "Why?" Anakin asked. "Padme thought you were in danger," Obi-Wan said. Anakin sighed, "She doesn't understand, I'm fine. She's getting too worried. I left her a hologram and everything." "Yes, but she's getting sick," Obi-Wan said. "What?" a shocked Anakin asked. "She's been so worried about you, she---" Obi-Wan began. "N-no, w-what did you just say?!" Anakin demanded. "She's what?" "She's sick." "Wait! How sick? Is she dying?" "Anakin calm down. She-" "Don't tell me to calm down!" Anakin screamed, pushing Obi-Wan back. He didn't want Obi-Wan caring for his wife while he was gone. Especially not after the vision he had of he and his wife embracing each other. "Anakin," Obi-Wan said, "Padme is fine. She's so worried about you; she's made herself sick about it. All you need to do is come home." Anakin felt as though he just woke up from a deep sleep. A sleep where love didn't matter and war was everything. Now, that he had woken from that sleep he could feel nothing but love for his wife. "Where have I been?" Anakin asked. "I want to go home." "Its good to have you back," Obi-Wan said, putting his arm around his apprentice. The two walked to the small cargo ship, while Bail watched their backs. The two got in the ship, and Bail dived into the cockpit. "Where to?" Bail asked the two Jedi. "Coruscant," Obi-Wan said. "Right, Anakin?" Anakin sat motionless. "Anakin?" Obi-Wan asked as the ship lifted off. "I'll be right back," Anakin said, and he dived out of the ship and sprinted towards the droid factory. "ANAKIN! STOP!" Obi-Wan shouted.  
  
CHAPTER XXVII  
  
Anakin sprinted faster than he ever had before. Nothing was on his mind except for what Dooku had said. There was no way that he would let that man leave this planet alive. The dead Jedi, the crumbling Republic, the separation from Padme, was all Dooku's fault. Anakin didn't want to have him be taken to Coruscant and tried in the Senate. All of those corrupt Senators would probably have him be sentenced for a few years, Anakin thought. No, I want him dead. Now. He reached the factory and stared at its size. It was very small for a factory. Anakin couldn't believe that this was the CIS's main droid factory. The walls were decaying and burnt from the many lava eruptions, the ground around it was crumbling and eroding, and there was no security. No droids, no sensors, no cameras. Just a building and an open door leading into darkness. Anakin felt a disturbance walking into the building. A fast rush of cool, cool air hit him and gave him a quick chill. Part of the chill was due to the air and the other was fear pumping through Anakin. He had never been in this situation before. Of course he had chased after Dooku before, but when he was on Geonosis, Obi-Wan was with him and when he was on the Devastator, at least there was light. Anakin activated his lightsaber and used the blue beam as a light source through the dark building. The light from the lightsaber was bright, but produced only enough for Anakin to see five feet in front of him. He moved it from side to side, the humming of the lightsaber rising and falling with each swing. Moisture dripped from the ceiling and landed on Anakin's head. He quickly turned around to be face and face with a figure. He jumped back and swiped at it. Sparks flew when his lightsaber hit it. The head of the statue flew off and bumped on the floor, rolled, and stopped right in front of Anakin. Anakin lowered his lightsaber to see the face of the statue he beheaded. He focused hard at it to see that it was Dooku. He gave a frown, but noticed something different about it. The statue head portrayed Dooku, but looked as though it was made decades ago. There were no wrinkles on his face and his hair was short, as if he were a younger Jedi. Walking around the head, Anakin looked at the base of the statue to read the inscription: For those with heroic acts, comes great power. A big chill ran through Anakin's body this time from reading the inscription. That was the same inscription Palpatine gave me, Anakin thought. Then red blur of light shot out from behind the statue. Anakin lifted his lightsaber to meet the crimson color. The two met with incredible force, sending a loud explosion noise throughout the building. As Anakin gained proper footing he released his stance and stared at the dark figure. It was Dooku. His cloak billowed behind him as he charged Anakin with his lightsaber swinging. Anakin ran as well, and the two engaged in an intense duel. Their lightsabers clashed loudly, as the two bobbed and weaved their way around the room. Anakin swung his lightsaber with confidence, but also with lack of focus. He paid for this when Dooku delivered a kick to his chin, sending the young Jedi across the floor. "As you can see, I still have some of my youth left in me," Dooku chuckled to the fallen Anakin. He walked closer to Anakin as the Jedi slowly got up from the floor. Anakin looked up in pain to see the red glow coming closer, and a shadowed figure behind. The two came closer and closer until Anakin jumped up swiping at the redness. "Oh, quite good, young Skywalker," Dooku soothed. "Attack me, with all of your hate, if you must." Anakin screamed and swung carelessly at Dooku, to which he simply responded to by taking a step back. This sent Anakin sprawling forward, to which Dooku delivered a kick to the head. Blood came from Anakin's mouth, and he took a swing at Dooku's legs. He jumped from the swing, and landed back a few feet. "What are you doing?" Dooku asked. "You expect me to believe that you are this pathetic? So pathetic you cannot take me on? You're the Chosen One! You said it yourself and you can't last one minute with me!" Anakin slowly got up and wiped the blood from his chin. He blankly stared at Dooku. "You are a disgrace to everyone," Dooku said. "The Jedi, the Republic, your wife-" That sent Anakin into a charge. He screamed and sprinted towards Dooku. Dooku smiled and stuck his hand out sending lightning into Anakin. He remembered the last time he had done that. Anakin went sprawling back into the statue of Dooku. His back hit it in an odd way and Anakin responded by grabbing his back and screaming. "Oh, how history repeats itself," Dooku commented. "Do you surrender?" Anakin responded by trying to get up. "No?" Dooku asked. "Very well." He then shot more lightning into Anakin. "Now?" Anakin still tried to get up. "Now?" Dooku then strained and shot a thunderous amount of lightning into Anakin. By now he was screaming in pain as dozens of streaks of lightning shot all over the room, lighting it up. Big, fat bolts hit Anakin's stomach, legs and head. "Stop! Please!" Anakin screamed. "Obi-Wan, please!" Dooku didn't stop, he delivered more and more until he was sweating on his forehead, and his head began to shake. "Help me, please!" Anakin shot as he body began to shake violently. "That will be enough," a voice said from the shadows. A surprised Dooku stopped electrocuting Anakin and turned to the voice. He couldn't see anything, except for a cloaked figure standing on a platform of some kind. The figure lifted his hands up and shot balls of fire from his hands. The balls hit different spots on the wall, illuminating the room so everything could be seen. It looked like a dungeon, with its stone walls and burning spots on the walls. "Master," Dooku said, bowing to the figure. "Darth Tyranus," Darth Sidious began, "You have done excellent. This must be the young Skywalker." He looked at the body on the ground, which was smoking from the numerous shots of lightning to him. "It looks as though your Jedi powers are nothing compared to the Dark Side, are they, my friend?" Sidious asked Anakin, who did not respond. He laid on the ground, moving from side to side in pain. "Well, if this is how you chose your fate," Sidious began, "Then Skywalker, you will die." He smiled evilly and nodded for Dooku who walked towards the body of Anakin, lying on the floor in pain.  
  
CHAPTER XXVIII  
  
Obi-Wan and Bail returned to their ship, circling the factory. Obi- Wan wanted to go chase after Anakin, but Bail told him that the lava could erupt at any time. The only place the ship could land would be a couple of hundred feet from the factory. It wouldn't be worth the risk Bail had said. Obi-Wan sat as patiently as he could. He knew that it wouldn't be easy pulling Anakin away from a mission. But when he was the only survivor, he thought Anakin would have a little sense. "Do you see him?" Bail called to Obi-Wan from the pilot's seat. Obi-Wan shook his head. "No." "He better be back soon, or he'll be gone for good." Bail said. "What are you talking about?" Obi-Wan asked. "The ship is reading a lot of activity going on underneath the lava," Bail said. "How long till it erupts?" Obi-Wan asked. "Its not just going to erupt, Obi-Wan," Bail corrected. "It's going to obliterate this whole area. Nothing but lava for miles." Obi-Wan sat trying to send messages to Anakin.  
  
Padme closed her eyes as she lied in bed looking at the ceiling. Her eyes were half open and her mouth was slightly open, breathing rapidly. She had been on drugs for the past day or two and they had been keeping her in a dreamlike world. "Anakin." she whispered. After saying that, her chest fell down, and it did not come back up. C-3PO walked into the room with a beverage and pills for Padme to take. "Dear Padme," he began, "I'm sorry to bother you, but its tim-" He stared at the lifeless Padme before him. "Oh dear!" he exclaimed. "Dorme! Come quick! Artoo! Oh dear!" The droid did nothing but grab Padme's hand and prayed she would be alright.  
  
Dooku stood before Anakin, watching the Jedi attempt to get to his feet. Every few seconds a little spark of lightning would go through Anakin's body. So much had absorbed into his body that a little was left stored in it. The little shocks would send Anakin back down to the floor if he attempted to get up. "Poor, pathetic fool," Dooku said. "Only now do you understand the power I behold. Say good-bye to all that you love." He then activated his red lightsaber and pointed it right on Anakin's head. All that you love echoed through Anakin's head. Padme, his mother, his childhood; everything ran through his head that he loved and treasured. He remembered working on bits for his podracer in Watto's shop, hugging his mother as she lied dying in her hands, and Padme smiling as they stood on their wedding balcony on Naboo, staring off into the sunset. Then that sunset turned into dark clouds, striking lightning in the distance, which was the cause of Padme's father's death. Then his mother's body lied on the ground as he slaughtered an entire Tusken camp. Then Watto would come in screaming and ordering him to work. All of those things he loved ended with tragedy. His wedding, his mother, his life as a slave. As Dooku stood over, prepared to give the final blow, Anakin pushed himself off of the ground. He stood before Dooku and Sidious, tall and proud to be a Jedi. As he stood, little shocks of stored electricity ran through his body, but he ignored them. All he did was stare at Dooku, waiting for him to strike. Dooku went into the attack, striking from left to right with one hand. Anakin did the same, showing that he could meet the Sith's lightsaber techniques. They parried from side to side, turning what was once an intense lightsaber duel, into a fencing match. Dooku kept his left hand to his side, while Anakin kept his tightly behind him, relying on the Force to balance him. The two moved around the room, gracefully. Sidious did nothing, but stare at the two, focusing how strong Anakin was with the Force. Anakin then began to pick up speed in his blows. He began to smile a few times, but Dooku kept his face stern and serious. The more Anakin charged, the more Dooku would frown and sweat. He was getting pushed back more and more, until he was few feet from a wall. Closer and closer he came, until he grabbed the lightsaber with both hands and swung at Anakin. The Jedi flipped twenty feet into the air, landing on a walkway above them. "You have improved much boy," Dooku commented. "The Force flows through you well." "More than you think," Anakin replied. He walked across the walkway, staring at Dooku. A few moments passed until Dooku decided to join the Jedi. He jumped up on the walkway and positioned himself. Anakin waited for his chance, and the two struck each other and began dueling again. This time Anakin felt woozy, as if energy was being drained out from him. His blows were slow, and he blocked Dooku with extreme laziness. As his fighting slowed, he turned to Sidious, whose arm was extended at Anakin. Anakin began to panic, as he grew weaker and weaker from Sidious draining him. As Dooku took a final swing at Anakin's head, the Jedi jumped off the walkway and fell on the ground. Looking up from the ground he eyed the statue of Dooku's head. He reached out with the Force and sent the object hurling towards Sidious. The Sith responded by stopping it before it even got close to him. "Become aggressive, Skywalker," Sidious said. "Let hate flow through you. It is you ally." "No," Anakin said. "The Force is." After saying that, he spun over on his back to block a blow given by Dooku. Dooku pressed harder down on Anakin, but Anakin held back. The lightsabers got closer and closer to Anakin's face. "Your whole life you have been afraid," Sidious continued. "Your fear has given you anger and hate. Anger and hate have made you powerful." Anakin began to whimper, as the glowing blades grew closer. "Young Skywalker, fight. Let go of you inner child and defeat him." Anakin tried to respond by pushing harder on Dooku, but failed. "You can't save yourself now. Just like your mother." Everything went quiet for Anakin. He stared at the red and blue light on Dooku's face. An evil face, with half of it glowing red, and the other glowing blue. He couldn't hear the lightsabers pushing against one another or Dooku's breathing. Instead all he could hear was his own breathing and heartbeat. His breathing was deep and rough, unlike anything he had ever heard before. It was if he was breathing through a machine. But aside from the breathing Anakin could hear Sidious's voice. Let go, Skywalker. Give into your hate. It will make you strong. Strike down what has destroyed your life. Fulfill the promise you made to your mother. Do not fail her. Anakin didn't want to give in, but his mother was the only thing on his mind. With immense hate and anger flowing through is body, Anakin pushed up on Dooku, lifting him off of him. The ex-Jedi was shocked at Anakin's strength and determination. He took a few steps back as Anakin shut off his lightsaber and hooked it to his belt. "Come and get me, Dooku," Anakin taunted "I'll prove to you who I am." "And who are you?" Dooku asked. "You'll see," Anakin answered. Dooku threw his hand up and shot lightning out of his hand. Anakin dived at incredible speed from the lightning. It hit the ground and exploded. Dooku continued to release it out of his hand, hitting Anakin head on, but having the Jedi dive out of the way in time. This amazed Dooku completely. Sidious had always taught him that Sith lightning was the most powerful weapon of the Dark Side of the Force. However, seeing his Apprentice using the Dark Side powerfully and Anakin avoiding it, Sidious had to smile. Not a smile of happiness towards Dooku, but rather towards the fact that Anakin is more powerful than he imagined. Anakin continued to quickly dart from all around the room, avoiding the lightning at all costs. He jumped closer and closer to Dooku, diving from spot to spot. Dooku took a few steps back, becoming frightened of the fast Jedi. Anakin's face possessed a face that no one had ever seen before. It looked as though an evil spirit had possessed him. He realized that his body was no longer his own. It felt as though someone was guiding him to avoid Dooku. Anakin had never felt this powerful before. Through all of his training and guidance from Obi-Wan, never had he felt this quick and cunning. He flipped over the headless statue of Dooku, which was soon destroyed by Dooku's lightning. Anakin nearly ran straight into a wall but caught himself and turned around to see the approaching Dooku. "Enough of this running," Dooku said. "Fight me like you mean it. Join us and be one of the most powerful Force wielders in the galaxy." "Never, Dooku," Anakin said. "Like I said before, I am a Jedi. I would rather die than join you." "Is that so Skywalker?" Sidious asked. "Then if that is your destiny, so be it. But I assure you, you wouldn't want your wife to become a widow, would you?" Anakin stared at Sidious and thought hard about Padme. He couldn't believe all of these things that flew through his mind at such a dangerous moment. But what about Padme, Anakin thought. Could I leave her to become a widow? "I'll never leave Padme," Anakin stated to the cloaked figure. "She loves me and I love her. And no one, not even you can stop me from my destiny." "Oh?" Dooku asked. "And what is that destiny?" "To be the most powerful Jedi with my wife," Anakin said. "Well, I'm sorry, but you're wrong about both of those things," Dooku said. "Your wife will die before you become worthy enough to be a Jedi Knight! She will die a pathetic person, who wasted her life with a nobody. A nobody who was destined to become the Chosen One, but couldn't even save his poor mother from death! You are nothing, Skywalker! You are weak, like your mother and your wife! You won't join us, so perhaps she will die!" "NEVER!" Anakin screamed and charged Dooku. The two exploded into their final duel. Light shot off from when the two warriors' weapons hit, sending sparks into air. The strikes were fast and hard upon Dooku. He was strong at the beginning, but was just pushed back more and more. The two locked onto each other's eyes. Dooku's were dark, but Anakin's were lit with fire of anger, fear, and aggression. They burned without blinking as Anakin struck Dooku's red blade again, again, and again. However, the final strike sliced Dooku's right arm off. He groaned in pain as he fell to the floor staring at his arm holding onto his lightsaber. Anakin stared at the suffering Dooku and said, "Now we're even." He turned away to face Sidious, unknowing that Dooku Force-grabbed his lightsaber and ignited it. Before he could get a hit, a clean swipe of a blue lightsaber wiped his head off. It popped off and rolled over to in front of Sidious. He stared at the expressionless head of his Apprentice.  
  
Yoda sat crossed-legged on a rock in a dark place. His surroundings were black, and in front of him a fire burned. Above it a pot was resting, cooking his dinner. A few trees could be made out in the background, but his entire surroundings were that of a cavern of some kind. Mucky water could be heard dripping in the distance, and snakes and other creatures crawled up and down the trees. Yoda had been meditating for quite a long time now. But the darkness grew and grew in his mind, creating a barrier between his visions and reality. However, now the visions became clearer for the first time in over a decade. This time, all he could see was Anakin. But this time, the body of Count Dooku stood in front of him. The body, however, lacked a head. Yoda flinched at this, seeing one of his old Apprentices decapitated. Anakin pushed the body over, and ignited his lightsaber. He stared at the body and began to attack it. He struck it again and again, with nothing but darkness in his eyes. After panting hard enough, he turned to Yoda and smiled. A smile that almost gave Yoda chills looking at it. A smile that possessed all the evil that Yoda had tried so desperately to eliminate in the galaxy. The smiling continued even when the walls seem to disappear and were replaced by lava. Anakin then turned away from Yoda and stared at a figure in the distance. Yoda couldn't see the face, but knew that that was the Sith Master. The missing Sith Master that he had worked so hard to find. Yoda stared hard at that figure, trying to figure out who he was and what he planned to do with Anakin.  
  
CHAPTER XXIX  
  
Anakin looked over the decapitated body of Count Dooku and spit on it. He knew that this man was the cause of all his anger and hatred. He knew that by killing him, he would be free of this emotional suffering. But he didn't. In fact he felt a need for anger and hate, almost a desire for it. Staring at the body of Dooku made him feel angrier and angrier. He ignited his lightsaber and brought it down on Dooku. He couldn't, yet wouldn't stop hitting the lifeless body. Sweat poured down his brow as he hacked. He drove his lightsaber down harder and harder until his hands began to blister. Panting very hard, Anakin stopped and shut off his lightsaber. He stared at the mutilated body of Dooku one last time. He turned away and began to walk out of the building, until a voice called out, "Well done." Anakin spun around startled by the voice. He had completely forgotten about the dark Sith Master. He did not know that much about the Sith, but recalled Mace and Yoda talking about them. "Do you know who you killed?" Sidious asked. Anakin was scared by that question. If I answer, what will he do to him? Anakin thought. "Count Dooku," Anakin answered. "And do you know who Dooku was?" Sidious asked. Anakin shook his head slowly like a child. "Dooku was my Apprentice," Sidious answered. "And being my Apprentice, he was a Sith. A dark lord of the Sith." "I know what a Sith is," Anakin said. "And I guarantee the Jedi will hunt you down." "Oh, no," Sidious mused. "I am quite safe from your friends. My power clouds their vision. And in time you will learn that power." "Never," Anakin said. "Don't avoid it," Sidious said. "It is your destiny." "Why do you think I would betray the Jedi?" Anakin asked. "Because they betrayed you first," Sidious answered. Anakin became somewhat curious. "You have visions, don't you? When you were younger it was that you were a leader. Later, it was the fear of your mother's safety. And now it's that your wife is safe. Who kept you from fulfilling all of these things? The Jedi." Anakin shook his head. Part of him believed what Sidious said. "They kept you from leading, fighting on your own. They kept you from protecting your mother. They kept you from being married. But you found a way around that and when you did, you were too late. Your mother's death, the Jedi's fault. Your separation from Padme, the Jedi's fault. Not being to move onto Jedi Knight, the Jedi's fault. Do you see the pattern here? They hate you because you are the best. You are the one that would be the best there ever was, and they wanted to take that from you." "Then why did they train me?" Anakin asked. "Because they wanted you to live the cursed life they did. No love, no hate, no anger, nothing. They wanted you to suffer because they were jealous. They kept you from your mother. From trying to save her, didn't they?" Anakin nodded. "And what happened when you went against their words to follow your own choice?" "I w...was t.too late," Anakin stuttered. "She died in my arms. She died because I couldn't save her." "And who was at fault?" Sidious asked. "I was," Anakin said. "No!" Sidious yelled. "The Jedi! The Jedi killed her! They were the ones who kept you from saving her! They butchered her by not letting you save her! She died crying and lost because of the Jedi! She died not loving you!" "No!" Anakin yelled back. "She did love me!" "And what was the last thing she said?" Sidious asked. "I love-" Anakin stopped, remembering that her mother never completed the sentence. She never said, "I love you", Anakin thought. "That was it, wasn't it?" Sidious asked. "That's all your mother said to you because she was ashamed. Ashamed that her son left her to become a Jedi." "No," Anakin said. "She said she was proud." His dying mother's speech came back to him. "Proud that you were a Jedi?" Sidious asked. "Proud that I grew up to be something," Anakin answered. "Proud I didn't live on Tatooine my whole life as a slave." "But you're not grown up, my friend," Sidious corrected. "You still have much to learn and I am your teacher." "What did you call me?" Anakin asked. Sidious just stared back at Anakin. "I am not you friend!" Anakin yelled. "You remember that!" "Oh, but I am!" Sidious cackled. "We are good friends. We have been for some time, Anakin." Darth Sidious removed his hood to reveal Emperor Palpatine. "Palpatine!" Anakin screamed in shock. "Why?!" He turned away in disgust. "Come, my friend," Palpatine said. "Learn the ways of the Dark Side. Only then can you truly be the one to bring balance to the Force!" "You low-down, no good." Anakin muttered. He reached out with his hand and ignited Dooku's fallen lightsaber. He threw it with the Force, straight for Palpatine. The lightsaber blade turned into one big, red blur as it spun at incredible speed. Expecting to see it strike Palpatine in the chest, Anakin stared wonderment as Palpatine stopped it inches from his face. He put his hand under it and the lightsaber began to spin slowly. "I can make you powerful," he soothed. "Within time, you will call me master." Anakin became entranced with the spinning lightsaber. So entranced he lost focus on what Palpatine was about to do. With a growl, Palpatine sent the lightsaber heading straight for Anakin. Anakin ignited his and blocked it. The red blade returned, floating in mid-air. It floated right in front of Anakin. It swung at him, and Anakin began fighting the lone lightsaber. Palpatine stood with one hand out, directing the lightsaber's moves. Anakin dived out of the way of its jabs. It leapt over his head, and Anakin responded by slicing behind him without even looking. The slice cut the lightsaber handle in half. The two pieces fell to the ground and Palpatine clapped his hands together. "Good, good," he commented. "Look how powerful you are. With my teachings, we can become the rulers of the universe! Take my hand, and I will show you things you never thought possible." Anakin stood there staring at the two pieces of Dooku's lightsaber, then to the body of Dooku and then to Palpatine, whose hand was outstretched to be shaken. He stood there, not saying anything, waiting for Anakin to make the decision.  
  
Obi-Wan was sick of this waiting. The impatience in him grew and grew until he stood up in the ship. "Bail," he began, "I don't care, but put the ship down! I have to go get Anakin!" "Obi-Wan!" Bail exclaimed. "The lava!" "I don't care!" responded Obi-Wan. "That's my friend down there!" "Alright, alright," Bail said. "But you'll have to be one hell of a runner." Obi-Wan smiled at that little comment. But he couldn't believe how much he sounded like Anakin, ordering Bail to put the ship down. He remembered how Anakin barked the order at the battle of Geonosis because Padme fell out. Obi-Wan frowned though at the memory of how it seemed he didn't care for Padme. He did care for her, and he wanted to tell Anakin he was very happy for the two of them. He never had done so, due to the fact that their marriage was against the Jedi Code. Who really cares? Obi-Wan thought. These are dark times, everything is a mess. He then realized how much he wanted to find Anakin. The ship landed and Obi-Wan jumped out and ran to the factory. "Be back in less than-" Bails shouted, but his voice was cut out from a nearby eruption. Obi-Wan stared at it as he sprinted across the brimstone, breathing in toxic fumes. He coughed hard as he inhaled a deep breath of smoke. But he continued running. Running to save his Apprentice. No, he corrected, my friend.  
  
Palpatine stood in his black cloak and still had his hand outstretched. A few mintues had passed, and Anakin still stood there thinking. "What will it be Anakin?" Palpatine asked. "The Jedi or me? If you go back, you'll have to report me. Coruscant will be a mess. Chaos will reign and you're life will be ruined. And don't forget what the Jedi will do to you. Back to being Obi-Wan's Apprentice? I don't think so. Come with me, and you'll be more than an Apprentice. You'll be a god." Anakin remained staring into space. He walked over to Palpatine slowly and took his hand. The old man did nothing but smile.  
  
Obi-Wan was about halfway when he heard the first rumble. The ground below him shook and broke apart. He footed himself on the part nearest the factory, and watched as the other part broke and fell the one hundred feet to the lava below. He sprinted faster to the factory and grabbed his comlink. While running he shouted, "Bail? Bail?" No answer. "Bail, try to catch up with me! I think this was a bad idea!" Right then the ground right behind Obi-Wan exploded sending him thirty feet ahead. He regained his footing and continued running. He grabbed his comlink again and shouted, "Bail?! Bail?!" Still no answer. The ground below him began to shake violently and break apart again. He dived away just in time for it to plummet below. Obi-Wan continued running and reached many of the dead storm troopers and clone troopers that were in the fight. What remained were bits of melted white and bones. Obi-Wan turned away from the site and could see the factory more clearly. As he reached about one hundred feet from the factory, a third explosion shot up from in front of him. The ground broke up and fell. He turned around to find that the ground slowly started to break apart moving closer and closer to him. He was stuck on a one hundred foot tall piece of rock that was going to be nothing in a few moments. He grabbed his comlink and screamed into it, "Bail! Bail! Do you copy?" Still no response. He threw the comlink over the edge waiting for the ground to break from under him when he heard a thud. He turned around, where he threw the comlink and found Bail raising the ship up to meet him. He saw his comlink stuck on the cockpit window and grabbed it. "Can you hear me?" he shouted. "Yeah! Go ahead!" Bail responded. "Can you get me over to the factory?" Obi-Wan asked, pointing to his left. "Maybe, but you better get in!" Bail responded. He opened the ship's doors and Obi-Wan dived in just as the ground he was standing on broke apart falling into the lava. Obi-Wan got up from the ship's floor and shouted to Bail in the cockpit. "Why can't we land on the factory?" he asked. "Readings say its too hot land on," Bail said. "Its cool inside, but that roof would eat right through the ship!" "Alright! Just fly to the front and I'll jump!" Obi-Wan yelled. "Are you crazy?" Bail asked. "That's like a thirty foot dr-" Bail was cut off from a huge explosion as part of the factory blew up, sending half of it off the cliff. The rest of it stood there, but the ground holding it up began to crack and break. It soon fell apart dropping below. "Anakin!" Obi-Wan shouted to the factory as it fell to its doom below. As he closed his eyes in pain, all of the volcanoes in the distance erupted sending lava all over the place. The sea of lava below began to bubble and rise. "Let's get out of here!" Bail shouted, taking the ship straight up and away from the eruptions. Bits of lava shot out and hit the ship, burning through two of the wings. The holes weren't critical, but the ash that hit Obi-Wan square in the chest did. It burned through his clothes and met his skin only for a brief while. Obi-Wan ripped his clothes off of his chest and tried to bare the pain of the burn. His clothes began to catch fire and he threw them out the hatch. He closed it and reached for the first aid. As he bandaged himself up, he stared with tears in his eyes as lava poured from the mouths of the volcanoes, covering all what was once dry, rocky land.  
  
CHAPTER XXX  
  
A few days later, Obi-Wan had recovered from the burn and was fully functional. He was the only one in the medical ward in the Jedi Temple. It was unusual being there, for the medical droids would not leave him alone. They were used to treating a few people, but since Obi-Wan was the only one; they had to deal with treating only one. Surgery was simple for the wound. Bits of ash had burned their way into the flesh and were simply removed by the surgeon. The reason Obi-Wan had stayed in the Temple was not only to heal, but also to talk to Mace. He told him of Anakin's death and of the hundreds of soldiers that died so easily. Mace responded by speaking that the prophecy of the balancing of the Force might not come due to the Jedi's death. Obi-Wan agreed, but knew that he looked at Anakin much more than the Chosen One, but rather a friend. Obi-Wan was picked up by Bail and the two traveled to Padme's apartment in order to break the terrible news. The two wondered how they should handle the news, and they both agreed on telling her he died a fighter. Obi-Wan knew that Bail didn't know Anakin very well, and was going for his closeness to Padme, but he put that aside him. He remembered when Bail and he fought in a few battles; he sometimes asked how good of a fighter Anakin was. Obi-Wan had plenty stories to tell him of their days before the Clone Wars. Those were good times, Obi-Wan thought as the ship arrived on a landing platform, floating near Padme's apartment. The ship landed and the two got in a shuttle, staring at the night sky.  
  
C-3PO had been waiting on Padme hand and foot, trying to please her in the best way he could. He didn't understand human behavior, but was trying to understand Padme's feelings at this moment. "M'lady Padme," the droid began, "its so great to see you fully functional again." "Thank you, Threepio," she responded. "Well, you know, I'm really not that functional. How long has I have been in bed?" "Three weeks, three days, eleven hours, thirty-eight minutes, and twenty-six...no, twenty-seven.no, twenty-eigh-" "That's fine, Threepio," Padme smiled. "Nonetheless, it has been quite a long time. Too long in fact." She trailed off, staring into space. "Where do you think he is?" "The maker?" 3PO asked. "Probably on some adventure. You know, when he created me, the first thing he told me was how much he wanted to see the entire galaxy. He would stay up for hours talking to me. I would listen and treasure the fact that I had such a caring master." "What about his mother?" Padme asked. "What was she was she like?" "You mean he didn't talk about her?" 3PO asked. "Never," Padme assured. "I remember before he left, he would speak her name in his sleep." "Well, she was very kind," 3PO said. "She was the one who completed me, you know. No matter what the conversation was, she'd always listen. I'm sure Anakin misses her." "Yes, he does," Padme said. "I'm sure he misses you as well." "Oh, thank you," 3PO responded. As the two ended their conversation, Dorme came in the room. "M'lady, you have some visitors," she simply said. "Anakin?" Padme asked with her eyes wide open. Dorme didn't respond and instead lowered her head as the two men walked in. Upon seeing Obi-Wan and Bail she broke into tears. Bail looked at Dorme and nodded. Dorme called 3PO and the two left the room. As Padme sat in bed with her face in her hands, Bail and Obi-Wan stood in front of the bed. A few moments passed until Padme was able to speak. "Bail." she began. "Would you excuse us?" "Absolutely," Bail said. He walked out, but put his hand on Obi-Wan's shoulder before leaving. That touch spoke words Bail couldn't give. When Bail closed the door behind him, Obi-Wan wiped one of his eyes. Minutes passed without words until Padme asked, "How?" Obi-Wan swallowed and answered, "In an explosion on Nkllon." Padme then didn't know what to feel. She had a feeling this day would come, but knew she had to tell someone. "Obi-Wan," she started. "I.um.have something to tell you." Obi-Wan's head raised from the floor and looked at Padme. "Um." Padme seemed lost in thought of what to tell him. "Before Anakin left I found out something. I.um, I." "What is it?" Obi-Wan asked. "I'm pregnant," she stated. It felt as though a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Obi-Wan however felt as though a ton had been added to his. Pregnant? he thought. Oh, if Anakin were here. "Who else have you told?" "My family," Padme answered. "And Dorme knows, but she tells everyone I'm sick." "Well, are you?" Obi-Wan asked. "I have an unknown disease," Padme answered. "It's the same thing Coruscant and Naboo's medical facilities tell me. And Coruscant's facilities are supposed to be the best. Someday I hope to travel to Alderaan and see what they can do." "Is it a boy or a girl?" Obi-Wan asked. "A boy," Padme said with a small smile. "I'm sure Anakin would have been proud," Obi-Wan said. That comment brought the tears back into Padme's eyes. "Oh, Obi-Wan," she said. She pulled the covers away from her and attempted to get out of bed. She hadn't used her legs in over three weeks and struggled before Obi-Wan came over to give her a hand. Once she got up, he looked at her and saw that her stomach was larger. He hadn't seen it when he first saw her, for it was hidden under the covers. It wasn't that noticeable, but in her nightgown it was. Padme stood in front of Obi-Wan staring at him. "I want to thank you for going after Anakin." Obi-Wan smiled. "You risked your life and I.I." She then broke down completely and grabbed Obi-Wan. She poured her eyes out and Obi-Wan returned the hug. The two stood in Padme's bedroom, not knowing what to say to one another.  
  
The night air was quiet as a black speeder arrived outside of Padme's apartment. It had visited her apartment a few weeks ago and now returned to do the same. It glided by the living room, and the pilot saw Bail and Dorme talking. The pilot ignored them and continued down the windows, arriving outside of her bedroom window. Inside, Padme's head was turned away as she was hugging Obi-Wan. Her hands gripped his back tightly as the two rocked back and forth. Obi-Wan did not just stand there, but was in fact returning the hug. The speeder sat there and the pilot stared into the bedroom.  
  
Obi-Wan did not know what to feel as his Apprentice and friend's wife hugged him. At first, he didn't know what to do, but decided she was in immense pain. Her husband, Anakin, was gone forever and Obi-Wan understood that she needed someone to help get the pain out. Obi-Wan was also feeling pain, but one that was different from Padme. A pain where you felt as though you failed as a Jedi. A pain where you let your Apprentice die, and left his wife pregnant by herself. What about the child? Obi-Wan thought. He could be trained as Jedi! The thought raced through his mind as he glanced through the window to stare at a black speeder parked right outside. "Who is that?" Obi-Wan asked Padme. She turned away from the opposite wall, but still hung on to Obi-Wan. The two were now still embraced in a hug staring out the bedroom window. As they stared at the speeder for a couple of seconds, the pilot floored it and sped away. In the apartment, Padme stared at Obi-Wan and pulled away from the hug. "Thank you, Obi-Wan," she said. "I know that Anakin would want to thank you for caring about me." "Your welcome, m'lady," Obi-Wan responded. "Obi-Wan," Padme started, "call me Padme. I think we've known each other long enough." "Alright," Obi-Wan smiled. "However, I must depart, but I'm going to have two Jedi guarding your door." "Guarding?" Padme exclaimed. "From what?" "Anakin's death is going to create some angry people," Obi-Wan observed. "From what I've heard, the Emperor has had nothing but good things to say about Anakin. And since more than half of the Senate are supporters of him, when they find out about Anakin's death they will take it out on the Jedi and might blame you too." "That's ridiculous," Padme said. "Why would anyone come after me?" "Because of who you are," Obi-Wan answered. "Anakin was a powerful Jedi and friend to the Emperor. You're the wife of the Emperor's dead friend, who hasn't been a great speaker for the Jedi. Just trust me on this." "Alright," Padme answered. Obi-Wan grabbed his comlink to tell Bail he was ready to leave.  
  
XXXI  
  
Mace sat in his apartment with a hologram of Yoda in front of him. The hologram was the normal size of Yoda and showed the Jedi master standing with is cane in front of him. He contacted Mace a few minutes ago, but the two had trouble receiving a clear broadcast of each other. Mace had to tune the adjustments for the signal. So, for the first time Mace sat down ready to hear what Yoda had to say. "What have you found out?" Mace asked as he made the final adjustments to the hologram projector. "Much have I seen," Yoda began. "Growing the Dark Side is, no doubt of that." "What have you seen?" Mace asked the hologram. "The Emperor," Yoda answered. "What?!" a shocked Mace exclaimed. "Palpatine? Under the Dark Side? How corrupted is he?" "Unclear it is," Yoda answered. "The missing Sith Master he may be." Mace let out a big sigh and rested his chin on his hand. "Why have we unable to see this?" Mace asked. "That I do not know," Yoda admitted. "Know I do, that Skywalker is following Palpatine's path. Stop him you must." "Anakin?" Mace asked. "But he was killed a few days ago on Nkllon in a factory." Yoda's eyes opened wide hearing this news. "That I have not sensed," Yoda said. "But sensed I have that he is alive and is following the dark path. And if he is not stopped, forever will it dominate his destiny." "I must contact Obi-Wan," Mace said. "He has just received news that Padme Skywalker is pregnant." Yoda felt as though a brick had just hit him. He lowered his head and closed his eyes. "If Skywalker's child is born," Yoda began, "do everything he can to turn it to the Dark Side, the Emperor will. A threat to him, the child is, if born. Padme must leave the planet." "I will have Obi-Wan talk with her," Mace promised. "Where are you?" "That I cannot give at this time," Yoda said. "When the time is right, I will. May the Force be with you, Master Windu." "May the Force be with you, Master Yoda," Mace returned. The hologram of Yoda disappeared, but Mace continued to stare at where it was. What was happening? Mace thought. His whole life, he thought that the Jedi would always be there. But now during these dark times, Mace didn't know what to think. He stood up and walked to his comlink. "Obi-Wan," Mace said into the comlink. "Yes, Master?" Obi-Wan answered. He was walking in the tall halls thinking about what to tell Bail about Padme's pregnancy. He had left Mace's apartment no less than ten minutes ago when the Jedi master called him. "I just spoke with Master Yoda," Mace said into the comlink. "I have something to tell you about Padme and Anakin."  
  
CHAPTER XXXII  
  
Two Jedi from the temple stood outside the door of Padme's apartment. They were ordered there by Obi-Wan and were only told to make sure no one enters the apartment. They were doing their job by guarding the door, but didn't notice the black speeder that stopped in front of the bedroom window. It was the same speeder that arrived weeks ago and the same one that Padme and Obi-Wan spied. However this time it didn't just wait outside the window, but instead it cut through the security field like it did before. The cockpit opened and a black-cloaked figure jumped out onto the balcony. The lights were dim in the living room and the figure stayed in the shadows as he crept to the bedroom. R2 sat in the corner of the room in a sleep mode. The figure was so smooth that it moved by R2 unnoticed. As it reached the bedroom, it closed the door and walked over to the window it had spied through earlier. It just stood there, staring at Padme. She lied in bed with the covers up to her chin and she kept her eyes shut. When the figure took a step to the left and blocked the moonlight hitting Padme's face, she opened her eyes. As soon as she saw the figure she gasped and sat up keeping the covers to her chin. "Why did you do it?" the figure asked. "Who are you?!" Padme demanded. The figure just stood there, not answering Padme's question. "I asked, 'why did you do it'?" the figure asked again. "Do what?" Padme asked. "Who are you? Tell me or I'll call the Jedi!" The figure let out a laugh. "The Jedi?" the figure asked. "Oh, Padme. Are you having a relationship with those two as well? Did you think to tell Obi-Wan about them? I'm sure he would love to know that you betray your husband and then break the heart of another Jedi! Now tell me! Why did you do it?!" "Anakin?" Padme asked, realizing her husband's angry voice. "You betrayed me!" the figure continued, slightly breaking down. "I go to fight for you, and risk my life for you, and this is how you repay me?!" "Anakin, no." Padme tried to calm the figure down. She attempted to get out of the bed. "SIT DOWN!" Anakin screamed, using the Force to throw his wife down before she got the covers off. His blow threw her back into the headboard, to which she responded with a scream. She grabbed her back in pain just as the lights in the entire apartment turned on and the two Jedi ran in the room with their lightsabers ignited. The two green blades stood in the doorway held by the Jedi. "Hold it right there!" one of them shouted, to which the cloaked figure responded by igniting his blue lightsaber. He walked towards the two Jedi and stuck out his arm sending them flying back. One hit the wall and bounced off, landing in the living room, while the other broke through the glass and plummeted to her death, thousands of feet below. The scream could still be heard as the cloaked figure walked towards the Jedi who had landed on a sculpture and broken his leg. The Jedi reached out to the Force, trying to grab his lightsaber, when the cloaked figure stepped on his hand. "Don't try to fight we me," it said. It twisted its foot, snapping the wrist of the Jedi. "Who are you?" the whimpering Jedi asked. The cloaked figure leaned over to the Jedi and pulled back the hood. "Who do you think?" he said with a smile, grabbing the Jedi by the throat and lifting him up a few feet off the ground. "Anakin." the Jedi gasped as his air supply was being cut off. "Yes?" Anakin asked, holding the Jedi up in front of him. "I'm sorry," he said pointing a small blaster on Anakin's stomach. Anakin saw this and quickly threw the Jedi forward onto a glass table. The table exploded, sending glass in all directions. The Jedi lied motionless in the heap of broken glass as Anakin turned back to the bedroom. As he reached the door, it was locked. "Padme?" Anakin asked, tapping lightly on the door. "Let me in. I need to.talk with you." Inside Padme sat on the bed in the arms of Dorme. In front of the bed stood R2 with his little gadgets extended that could be used as weapons. 3PO however stayed hidden in the corner of room, saying that he was helping somehow. The group snuck into the room while Anakin was fighting with the Jedi and had locked the door behind them. Anakin continued to tap on the door, until he got fed up and ignited his lightsaber. He stuck it through the door, melting it. He could almost get through until he stooped when he heard a voice call, "ANAKIN!" He spun around to find Obi-Wan and Bail standing in the apartment doorway. Obi-Wan held his ignited lightsaber and Bail stood there with his blaster. "Anakin!" Obi-Wan exclaimed. "We thought you were dead!" "I bet you did!" Anakin screamed. "You didn't wait that long to take my wife away from me, did you?" Anakin began moving slowly towards the group in the living room. "What are you talking about?" Obi-Wan asked, watching his apprentice move closer to them. "Don't play games with me!" Anakin continued to scream. "I saw you two!" Anakin then moved away from the group and walked onto the balcony he had arrived at. "No, Anakin," Obi-Wan corrected. "She was grieving. She thought you were dead. We all thoug-" "No!" Anakin shouted with his back towards the two men. "That's not what you thought." He jumped onto the railing and took a look at his master. "Goodbye, Obi- Wan. Enjoy Padme. She's all yours." With that, Anakin jumped off the ledge. "NO!" Obi-Wan screamed running to the balcony. He and Bail looked below to see Anakin on top of his black speeder, scrambling to get inside the cockpit. The top opened and Anakin jumped inside, grabbing the controls. But before even moving a foot, the ship shook violently as Obi-Wan landed on top of it. He immediately took it into a nosedive, heading though lanes of Coruscant traffic. Anakin had to smile at the memory of him in the same position Obi-Wan was in. Those few years ago when the bounty hunter Zam Wessel flew through Coruscant traffic, with Anakin holding on for dear life. He recalled all of the techniques Zam used to try to shake him off, but Anakin knew he could do better. He pulled sharply to the left, sending Obi-Wan nearly falling off the right side. Anakin did a few barrel rolls, but the determined Jedi hung onto the side of the ship. Nosedives and barrel rolls wouldn't shake Obi- Wan off, so he decided to let something else do the job. He spied statues of old warriors of the Republic, their swords jutting thirty feet out from their hands. Anakin flew right by them hoping to snag Obi-Wan on the end. Instead, the sword sent Obi-Wan flying down, plummeting through Coruscant traffic. Anakin ignored the falling body and flew off into the distance. However, Obi-Wan fell one hundred feet before he landed on the back of a speeder. He crawled over to the cockpit and held onto two handles as the speeder turned sharply and landed on top of landing platform outside a group of closed jewelry stores. He remembered Anakin's flying skills were what saved him the last time, and he knew only one other person that had great pilot skills. Obi-Wan climbed off the ship and stood by the cockpit waiting for Bail to come out. But when the cockpit opened, Mace climbed out and stood by his friend. "I called Bail just as you 'jumped out'," he said to Obi-Wan. "Thanks," Obi-Wan said, patting Mace's shoulder. "I didn't know you were much of a pilot." He stared off into the distance, trying to find Anakin through the Force. "He's trying to block himself out," Mace said. "I've tried to reach him myself. He's falling down the dark path, Obi-Wan. But come, there is much we need to talk about." He put his arm around Obi-Wan and the two hopped into the speeder, heading back to Padme's apartment. 


	3. The Fall of the Republic

PROLOGUE  
  
It is a time of corruption. The Emperor's plan for Anakin Skywalker to retrieve battle station plans from an abandoned factory on Nkllon has failed and has resulted in the young Jedi killing Count Dooku and joining the Sith Master, Darth Sidious, revealed to be the Emperor himself. Afraid for not only her own life, Padme Skywalker has admitted that she is pregnant with Anakin's child and has been confronted by her angered husband, only to be rescued by Obi-Wan Kenobi and Bail Organa. Due to Padme's pregnancy, it has been agreed that she, Obi-Wan, Bail, Dorme, and the two trusty droids, go into hiding so that the Skywalker child is protected from the Emperor's evil plans and will not fall down the same path its father has.  
CHAPTER XXXIII  
  
Early that morning, before the sun even rose over the horizon, Padme had begun packing. She didn't agree with everyone's advice, but in this case, she felt as though she didn't have a choice. A few hours ago, Mace and Obi-Wan had returned from their encounter with Anakin and felt that it was the best decision if Padme went into hiding. Bail and Dorme were in the room when they advised that, and the two immediately agreed. Padme felt as though Anakin was just "blowing of some steam", but the look on Obi-Wan's face showed her that he wasn't. It wasn't the fact that they were leaving that bothered Padme, it was the reason. She had seen Anakin get angry before, but this time, she had to admit he was out of control. But was it that bad that they had to go into hiding? Padme thought. As she was thinking of Anakin's behavior while packing, Bail, Obi- Wan, and Mace sat in the living room discussing the situation. "Anakin's behavior was too aggressive," Obi-Wan said. "Palpatine has controlled him into being an agent of evil, there is no doubt of that." Mace nodded at the observation. He looked at Bail, who had just found out about Palpatine being a master of the Dark side. Something in Bail told him that he always knew something was evil about Palpatine, but he never would have brought himself to believe that he was a Sith. "Why don't we tell the Senate about the Emperor?" Bail suggested. "They won't stand for this." "The Senate is now practically controlled by Palpatine," Mace said. "Besides, he has too many friends in there who would do anything to keep him in control. It's hopeless to ask the Senate to overthrow him." "You're suggesting a revolution?" Obi-Wan asked Mace and Bail. "Aren't there enough members of the CPR to call a vote of 'no confidence'?" "Hardly," Bail answered. "They are powerless compared to the rest of the Delegates and Senators. I've left the committee to be headed by Senator Binks. He was the only one I knew well enough to handle the stress. My friends, I hate to say it, but it looks like the Republic we have fought for is completely falling apart." Mace sighed at the same thing he had been thinking about for weeks. "Nonetheless, I want Padme to be hidden. Since Anakin is still alive, the Emperor will do everything in his power to control the child. The best thing we can do is make sure the Emperor can't find her or the child." "Agreed," Bail said. "Alderaan is the safest place." "Alderaan?" Obi-Wan exclaimed. "Don't you think that the Emperor would try looking there first when he realizes you and Padme are gone?" "No, I don't," Bail said. "A few years ago, when Palpatine was Chancellor, I passed a bill securing certain planets from the Republic. Sure Alderaan was still represented in the Senate, but it was a neutral planet. We outlawed weapons and basically declared a state of peace. We didn't want to get into the war, what with the University of Aldera and everything. So if the Emperor actually goes as far as invading Alderaan, I can safely say that he can be removed from power for breaking Republic law." Obi-Wan couldn't argue with what Bail just offered, but only one thing stuck in his mind. "Bail, you do realize though that Palpatine is being corrupted and tempted by the Dark Side? He won't listen to order. He will only give it." "I understand," Bail said. "What do you think Master Windu?" Mace sat, leaning back in his seat, thinking about the hiding of Anakin's wife and unborn child. No matter what, he thought, Palpatine must never find the child. "She should leave as soon as possible," was all Mace could say. He looked at the two other men, who looked back and nodded.  
  
Dorme walked into the bedroom, carrying her own personal belongings, which weren't much. She set them in a small suitcase and shut it. She stood there with the suitcase closed, just staring at a piece of art on the wall. Her mind wasn't on the art, but rather on the fact that she and Padme had to go into hiding. She had moved from place to place with Padme in the past, but this time, someone could be after them. While staring at the art, Padme moved over to her friend and put her hand on her shoulder. "You're going to be okay," Padme reassured. Dorme turned around and stared back. "How can you say that?" Dorme asked. "Padme, you are the one going into hiding, and here you are telling me that I'll be alright? Think about yourself, please! You've always been brave enough to not worry about yourself and rather those around you. Haven't you ever considered worrying about yourself?" Padme bit her lower lip and lowered her head. Dorme is right, she thought. My whole life, I've never thought about my self. My sister told me, my mother told me, and now my friend is telling me. "You're right, Dorme," Padme realized. "I should realize that this situation is very serious. I just can't believe Anak-" Padme cut off and began to cry. She slowly lowered herself to the floor and sat there sobbing. Dorme responded by crouching down and hugging Padme. The two sat there, rocking back and forth knowing that the lives they had were becoming dark ones.  
  
CHAPTER XXXIV  
  
Mace and Obi-Wan walked onto one of the many balconies of the Jedi Temple. The sun was at the point where it was minutes away from breaking the horizon. A few streaks of orange and red covered the sky as traffic moved by. Not that many vehicles were out at this time. Those who were out partying during the night had gone to bed and those who had work were just getting up. Mace walked slowly next to Obi-Wan with his hands behind him and head pointed to the floor. Obi-Wan realized that the very balcony they were on was the same one he Qui-Gon visited quite often when he was an apprentice. He smiled at the fact that the last conversation he had on the balcony with his late master was about Anakin's future. Qui-Gon had such high hopes for the boy, and nothing would stop him from training him, Obi-Wan thought. Except for the Sith, Darth Maul. He closed his eyes at the memory of losing Qui-Gon to the red and black tattooed villain. He did his best to shake away the thought and he walked on with Mace on the balcony. "Do you think Padme will be safe?" Obi-Wan asked Mace. "If the Emperor doesn't find her, she will," Mace responded. "I just can't believe this is happening," Obi-Wan admitted. "Palpatine's darkness, the crumbling of the Republic, Anakin being used by Palpatine." "Are you suggesting Anakin hasn't yet joined the Dark Side?" Mace asked. "I've known Anakin for over a decade," Obi-Wan stated. "And if there's one thing I know, it's that Anakin has anger that has built up more and more. Being separated from his mother, being trained at such an old age, his mother's death; they are all things that have hurt him. And through the years that I have trained him, I've noticed the only thing he wants is to be the best. He thinks that by being the best will help him protect others and make him feel better about all the hurt and pain he has experienced. There is no other explanation for why he is following the Emperor." "Palpatine is tricking him to believe he can give him power, isn't he?" Mace asked. "I think so," Obi-Wan answered. "He can be turned then." Obi-Wan glanced up at the other Jedi. "I hope so," Obi-Wan responded. "I know you can do it," Mace said. "You are the only one he'd listen to." "What about Padme? He would always listen to her." "From what Anakin did to the two Jedi that were guarding his pregnant wife, I wouldn't bet on it. Anakin feels he's been betrayed, but why is that?" "I know," answered Obi-Wan. Mace turned his head to look at him. "What is it?" "When I recovered from my burns from Nkllon, Bail and I visited Padme to tell her about Anakin's fate," Obi-Wan began. "One thing led to another and Padme hugged me, sobbing. I could nothing but return the hug. As we stood there for a few moments, Padme's cries grew softer and the two of us saw a speeder outside the window. It flew off and we didn't think twice about it. Who knew that Anakin was still alive? "But now.now we have no choice but to hide his wife. The one he said he'd love forever. The one that is bearing his son. His son, Mace! How could Anakin do this? He wasn't just my apprentice, Mace! He was my friend! And now I have to protect his wife from him or the Emperor. Why did this happen, Mace? Why are you and I forced to leave Coruscant because of the Emperor and his evilness?" Mace didn't respond and walked over to the edge of the balcony. He grabbed the railing and stared off into the rising sun. "You must go without me," Mace confessed. He continued to stare off into the distance as Obi-Wan walked closer to him. "Why?" Obi-Wan asked. "My place is here," he said, looking over the edge at the rest of the Jedi Temple below. "When you leave, I'll be the last Jedi here." Obi-Wan didn't respond, and instead just stared at him. "My whole life was dedicated to the safety of the galaxy," he continued. "Ever since I was a young Jedi, my mind was focused on there being peace in the galaxy." He looked up at the few remaining stars in the sky that hadn't disappeared due to the rising sun. "But look at all of them. There's no way all of them could be protected from evil. There billions of them, and I can't save this one." "No one can, Mace," Obi-Wan said. "We all tried, and have been defeated. But we're not gone forever. One day the evil and corruptness of the Emperor will end, I promise." Mace smiled. "If only that were true, Obi-Wan. I've fallen from my power with the Force and I-" "Fallen?" Obi-Wan asked. "What are you talking about? You're still powerful. You and Master Yoda are the most powerful Jedi in the galaxy." "Next to you, we are the only Jedi in the galaxy," Mace responded. He now turned around to face his friend. "And I know that you are the one to lead Padme's child down the right path. Protect the child well, Obi-Wan. You never know what kids get into nowadays." He smiled and reached out and hugged Obi-Wan. The two Jedi patted each other on their backs and pulled away. "I'm worried about you, Mace," Obi-Wan said. "Don't worry," Mace reassured. "I'll contact you when you arrive and scramble the signal to not arouse any suspicion." "I understand," Obi-Wan responded to with a nod. "Good-bye, Master Windu." "Not good-bye, Master Kenobi," Mace said with a smile. Obi-Wan turned to walk out the door of the balcony. As the door opened, he spun around and asked, "Mace?" The other Jedi looked back at him. "May the Force be with you," was all Obi-Wan said as he turned again and walked out. The doors shut behind him and Mace stood there, staring at the closed doors. He never broke concentration until an engine roared above him and a small speeder took off into the sunrise. Mace could do nothing, but stare and say, "May the Force be with you, Obi-Wan Kenobi." As Mace took one final look at the speeder growing smaller and smaller, a frown formed on his face as he realized what he had to do. He walked back inside the Temple and proceeded to his own shuttle. He walked with grace, with his robe flowed behind him until reaching the small landing platform. He jumped in his speeder and punched up a picture of his destination: the Emperor's office.  
  
CHAPTER XXXV  
  
The sun reflected off of many assorted glass objects around Padme's living room. Pieces of art and mirrors sent beams of light in all directions. The light, however, didn't bother the people in the room. Padme and Dorme sat next to each other on a couch, while Bail marched slowly around the room, keeping one hand up to his chin as if he were coming up with an idea or theory. C-3P0 and R2-D2 kept to themselves by the bags of luggage near the elevator. The two had been arguing earlier, but were told to shut up by Bail, who had been worried about the hiding ever since he suggested it and didn't want to hear two droids bickering. Words had not been exchanged for quite a while until Padme asked, "Where's Obi-Wan?" "He was meeting with Master Windu," Bail began, "but I hope nothing has gone wron-" He was then cut off by the noise of the elevator and a Jedi walking into the room. "We must go, before it's too late," Obi-Wan commanded.  
  
The shuttle arrived to a hanger a few hundred feet down from Padme's penthouse. It was dimly lit, and used the sun as its light source. The ceiling was low, but high enough for the Alderaanian Diplomat Transport to fit. It was all white and had blue stripes, with the official Alderaan seal on each side. When first Obi-Wan saw it, it reminded him of the Republic Cruiser he and his former Master used when the two attempted negotiations on a Trade Federation ship the many years ago. As the humans and droids approached the ship, Bail stuck out an arm and asked, "So, what do you think?" No one responded, but that didn't stop Bail from talking. "Similar to a Republic Cruiser, only a bit smaller. 105 meters, Dyne 490 radial atomizer engines, quad-arc DT-4.1 hyperdrive, enough shields for- " "What about stealth?" Obi-Wan interrupted/. "Believe it or not, but this has got a THX cloaking device built in," Bail answered. "The Republic doesn't have any ships this small for a formidable weapon such as cloaking, but Alderaan sure does. So, what do you think, Padme?" She didn't respond and instead walked up the ship's ramp, carrying a bag. A few moments passed until Dorme, 3PO, and R2 followed. As the four disappeared into the ship, Bail turned to Obi-Wan. ""I'm sorry for acting like that," Bail confessed. He sighed and walked over to the side of the ship and grabbed it, slouching. "I still can't come to grips that her life and the infant's are in danger, Obi-Wan. I've known her for years, and I never imagined her to be in the middle of this mess." Obi-Wan walked over to Bail and stood in the same position, leaning forward and grabbing onto part of the ship. "What you have to realize, Bail," Obi-Wan began, "is that this will pass. It wasn't until now that I realized that. Palpatine cannot be in control forever. We will find a way to stop him and rescue Anakin from being seduced. But until then, we need your help to protect Padme at all costs." Bail looked at the Jedi and patted his shoulder. "Let's go, then," Bail said as he turned and began to walk up the ship's ramp. "Send Artoo to my ship," Obi-Wan said. "He'll help me keep track of you when you're cloaked." Bail responded with a wave and disappeared into the ship. Obi-Wan began to walk to Anakin's Jedi Starfighter, which had been brought there automatically when it was agreed that going into hiding was necessary. When Obi-Wan reached it, he ran his hands over the scorched battle hits it took during the Battle of Nkllon. He closed his eyes and tried his best to tune into Anakin's mind, but nothing. The best Obi-Wan could see was anger. But anger for who? Obi-Wan thought. As he concentrated harder, he jumped at the sound of a beep as R2 approached. Obi-Wan spun around to see not only the blue droid in front of him, but also the roar of the engines of the transport starting up to engage in a journey that was only just beginning.  
  
CHAPTER XXXVI  
  
The room was quiet as Emperor Palpatine stood, looking out his office window, like he did any day. However, this day was not any ordinary day. This day was the day that he would begin instructing a young ex-Jedi. He did not know what to expect from him, but planned that it would be most to his liking. The sun finally reached Palpatine's eyes and the old man squinted and turned away. He typed a button on his desk that resulted in a dark shield covering the windows from sunlight. As the shields closed, he didn't notice the Alderaanian Transport and Jedi Starfighter in the distance heading off into the sky. But the one thing he did notice when he turned on the office lights was a figure in the front of the door. He was tall, powerful, and angered as he walked closer to the Emperor. In order to reach the main part of the room, he needed to walk past two red Royal Gaurds to the Emperor. They turned on their Force pikes and prepared an attack, but instead were given the hand movement of Palpatine to stand down. "Do accept my apologies, Master Windu," Palpatine suggested. "Security has grown tighter and tighter in the past few years. Oh, please sit." Palaptine motioned for the Jedi to sit, but Mace stood, staring coldly back. "I see," Palpatine said. "You are angry about something, aren't you? But what could it be?" "You're corrupt, Palpatine," was all Mace said. He stood his ground as Palpatine stood and walked over to the Jedi. "How dare you," said Palpatine. "You come into my office with this tone after all I've done for you." "How dare you!" Mace responded. "You've played us all for fools: the Jedi, the Senate, the whole galaxy! I've given my life to the Jedi and protecting the Republic and you have done nothing but destroyed it! Never in my life have I thought that someone I trusted could betray me. Never and I thank the Force that your reign will end now." A smile formed on the Emperor's face as Mace finished. He turned his back on Mace and returned to his desk. He sat down and smiled at the Jedi. He placed both hands in front of his face as if he were praying or planning something evil. "Well said, Jedi," he commented. "From now on, that is what the rest of you will be referred to as; no names, just Jedi. And when it comes down to the three or two of you, no one will be able to stop me. That is unless you do something now. You did say you were going to put a stop to this, didn't you?" Mace pulled back his robe, revealing his lightsaber. Its metallic surface shined as it was hit by the sunlight. The initials B.M.F. were engraved on it, in memory of Mace's master after Yoda. He grabbed it and held it tightly in his right hand. "Yes, I did," answered Mace. "Well in that case, Jedi, I do hope that the deadly martial art of echani is not too much for you," Palpatine crackled. At that instant Mace spun around igniting his lightsaber as the Emperor's two Royal Guards began approaching the Jedi. As they walked closer to Mace, they pressed a button on their staffs, releasing a small red energy field on the end. Wanting to do this the easy way, Mace used a Jedi mind trick on the gaurds. He telepathically ordered them to surrender, but they continued to approach. Before Mace could think what was happening, the first guard drove his pike down on the Jedi. A purple blade met a red, short, thick blade as the two stood their ground. I can cut that metal pike in half, thought Mace. He swung at the gray pike, but the red armored guard blocked the blow by spinning his own pike at lighting speed. A surprised Mace pushed with all of his might, forcing the guard back a few feet. It was then that he spied the other guard approaching in a sprint. The duel began again with a different guard, but this time Mace felt that this one was not as experienced. He lacked the strength and skill of the other one, Mace thought. As soon as the second duel began, it ended. Mace quickly sliced the long handle in half, and kicked the guard back against the wall. As the guard flew back, the red blade followed, slicing him right through the chest. Mace turned to the other guard who was now typing in a code on the Emperor's desk. A secret door flew open and Palpatine ran through it, leaving Mace with the guard. He jumped at the red figure and the two began their fight.  
  
In a dark room, a figure stood in front of a glass window. On the other side, Mace was battling and was not able to see through the thick, camouflaged glass. The watching figure stood with its arms folded in front of it and face hidden in the shadows. While it stood, watching, a shorter figure approached it. "Watch his movement," the Emperor said. "See how his eyes stay on his opponent at all times. They dart back and forth between eyes and weapon. He anticipates the next strike and deflects. But when the moment comes he surprises his opponent and." At that moment, Mace flipped over the guard and swung, slicing its head off. ".delivers the final blow."  
  
Mace stood in the Emperor's office, panting from the duel he just had. A small bead of sweat rolled down the side of his face. He shut off his lightsaber and shouted, "It's going to take more than a few guards, Palpatine! I can feel your presence and I won't stop, even if you leave the planet! I will find you Palpatine and I will not grant mercy, I promise you that!" With that, Mace shut off his lightsaber and ran out of the room. He ran past the empty spot outside the office that Sly Moore usually stood at and stared off down the empty hallway to find a few more red guards approaching. He bolted down the opposite end to the landing platform his speeder was on.  
  
The two dark figures stared at the bodies in the Emperor's office. No words were exchanged when Mace announced his threat and ran out the room. "Now, you will be assigned your first mission," the Emperor said. "Just like your encounter at the apartment with the two Jedi, you will now be facing one of the best in galaxy. All you need to remember is that the Dark Side brings you power. Trust in its power of hate. You hate the Jedi for destroying your life, and now destroy theirs. Follow you destiny and give into the Dark Side, my young apprentice." Upon hearing his orders, Anakin Skywalker walked out from the shadows and stared back at the older, shorter man. He then reached behind his head and pulled up a black hood. "Yes, my Master," Anakin responded. "I will not fail."  
  
CHAPTER XXXVII  
  
The Alderaanian ship pulled out of hyperspace, quickly followed by a Jedi Starfighter. The starfighter deployed its hyperspace ring and flew behind the larger ship. Inside the controls, Obi-Wan stared as the planet of Alderaan came into view. Its green and blue surface boldly stood out from the other dull planets Obi-Wan had seen. White and gray clouds covered parts of the planet as small bits of lightning could be seen striking in a few of them. "Stay close by, Obi-Wan," Bail said over Obi-Wan's headset. "I've notified Alderaan of our arrival and they are trying to stay hush-hush about it." Obi-Wan guided his ship closer to the other and put it in automatic in order to not get separated. R2 let out a few beeps over the comlink to the Jedi pilot. "No I haven't been, Artoo," Obi-Wan answered. R2 responded with a funny noise and whistle as Obi-Wan looked at the translation, "Really? Well that makes two of us!" Obi-Wan smiled at the droid's humor and awaited the sights of Alderaan.  
  
After flying through the clouds, nothing but green, blue, and mainly white could be seen. Far, rolling hills of grass covered the ground. Separating the enormous grasslands were small bodies of water. But what would catch anyone's attention were the massive white structures. The curved surfaces covered the grasslands and had long stretching roads linking bodies of land separated by the blue seas. The buildings all matched together, yet all differed in design. Some were tall, narrow structures, reaching high into the skies. Others were short and domed and had windows stretching all around them. Traffic wasn't plaguing the skies as in Coruscant, but rather was scarce in the sky. On the roads that were connecting the grasslands, a low amount of vehicles traveled back and forth. Bail sat back guiding the ship towards a large center. Since Alderaan was his home planet, he had to smile as the three others in the ship stared out the cockpit window at the white city. "This is one of the largest centers," Bail sated. "Its called Crevasse City. And right over there is the University of Aldera." C-3PO leaned farther forward, trying to see the planet's surface. Instead he leaned to far forward, hitting an emergency brake pad. From Obi-Wan's view the ship looked as if it had frozen in time as he passed right by it. He did a quick u-turn and approached the ship. "What's wrong?" he asked into his headset. "Nothing," Bail responded. "Threepio hit the emergency brake. Hang on a second while I take it out." Bail released the brake and the ship kicked back as it proceeded back on course, with Obi-Wan following. The two ships approached the landing platform as voice came over their speakers. "Confirmation code?" the voice asked. Bail reached into a small compartment and pulled out a small sheet of paper. "325-5321-1138," Bail said over the speaker. "Accepted," the voice responded. "Confirmation code?" Padme asked Bail. "Just to make sure no troops arrive before we do," Bail reassured. He had been worried that somehow, word of their going into hiding would get around, and Palpatine would send troops after them. The worst thing Bail could think of would be if Palpatine attacked his planet. If that happened, he knew he could get enough support to impeach him. Business in the Senate will have to wait, Bail thought. Padme's safety is our major concern. Her safety and the child's. As Bail landed the ship, Dorme helped Padme up from her sitting and guided her to the ramp. Bail took off his headset and began to walk out of the cockpit before throwing a glare at 3PO for hitting the emergency brake. He proceeded down the ramp, where Padme and Dorme were walking towards Obi- Wan. Bail had to smile at himself for how well the trip had gone and that Padme was safe from the Emperor. "Well, I suggest we take you to your apartment, Padme," Bail began. "I would feel better if we got you inside as soon as possible." "Fine," Padme responded. Bail had noticed she looked sick on Coruscant, but after the trip, she looked much worse. There were bags under her eyes and her face was pale. His once cleanly braided hair had pieces hanging in her face. "I am feeling a bit tired." Upon that comment, Padme's eyes rolled back in her head and she fell forward. But before she fell, Bail grabbed out and caught her. "Medic!" he screamed to the landing station's main building. He looked down at Padme, who had sweat covering her entire face. Her eyes were completely white and her mouth hung open. "We've got to get her to a hospital," Obi-Wan said. "No problem," responded Bail. "Alderaan has some of the best medical facilities in the university. She'll feel better in no time." Upon that comment, a shuttle lifted up from behind the main building, and landed right next to the group. The shuttle's small doors revealing two medical druids. They wheeled out to Padme and inserted two needles into her. Fluid flowed into her bloodstream and her breathing returned to its normal pace. The two droids then pulled two metal poles apart, revealing a plasma-like stretcher. Bail and Obi-Wan helped lift her on it, and the droids carried her off. "Follow us," Bail said to Obi-Wan, proceeding to the shuttle with Dorme and the two droids. Obi-Wan turned back to his ship and proceeded towards it.  
  
The hospital was one of the largest buildings in the university. Its white color blended in with its surrounding buildings, but its structure stuck out. It curved like a wide U and two domes on each ends. Windows covered the entire building, as patients looked out onto the green land and blue water. Emergency ships landed near the front and the patient was rushed in. Obi-Wan noticed that it didn't seem that crowded as he saw the emergency shuttle land, and the two droids carry a stretcher with Padme on it out. "There are some visitor pads you can land on," Bail said over the speaker. Obi-Wan looked around and found an empty one. "Ask information what room we'll be in, okay?" "Fine," Obi-Wan said as his starfighter landed calmly on the pad. He looked around the cockpit of his apprentice's ship. No. Is he still my apprentice? And what about Padme? The two are still husband and wife, aren't they? Thoughts plagued Obi-Wan's mind as he hopped out of the ship and proceeded to the entrance to the hospital.  
  
The hallways were all white, with potted plants scattered along the walls. In between the plants, paintings rested on the walls, depicting sunsets and woodland creatures. Patients gazed upon these as they walked or were hovered through the hallway. The patients varied from all different species, as well did the doctors. They walked down the hallways with clipboards, writing things down, while their young college assistants would follow with wide eyes. Obi-Wan had already found which room Padme was in and was looking for it. He passed a few patients who just stared as his robe flowed behind him. He turned a few corners and ran into a patient mumbling to himself. Obi- Wan's eyes opened widely as he stared into the empty sockets of the elderly patient. "Beware!' the old man said. "We're all doomed! The end is near! Our planet will be gone! We're all dead! All of us!" As the man continued to scream, two men came from around the corner and whisked him into a room. The screams faded and the listening public went back to their own business. What the man said stayed in Obi-Wan's mind as he proceeded towards Padme's room. He turned one last corner and saw the room at the end of the hallway. Inside Padme could be seen in bed, with Dorme next to her, holding her hand. Padme's eyes were closed and was breathing comfortably on a respirator. Bail was talking to a doctor outside the room, but Obi-Wan couldn't make out what they were saying. When he got closer, Bail turned his head and saw Obi-Wan. He looked surprised at first, but then smiled. He grabbed the doctor's arm and the two quickly walked by Obi-Wan. Curious as to why the two didn't say anything, Obi-Wan began to follow, but was distracted by Dorme calling him. He turned to her and then returned back to Bail and the doctor, but the two had disappeared down the hall. He frowned and entered the room. "Bail says she has some sort of heart disease," Dorme said, with tears in her eyes. "Her blood pressure is too high, and if she isn't treated, the baby's going to die before birth." She set her head on the edge of the bed as tears began to run down her face. Obi-Wan walked to the window and stared out at the beautiful, white architecture. His eyes darted back and forth, as his mind raced at lightspeed about what to do with Padme. As usual, before he got anywhere, he turned to see Bail in the doorway. He looked stressed as if a ton were added to his shoulders. As soon as Dorme lifted her head from the bed and looked at Bail, his face turned into a happy one. "What did the doctor say?" Dorme asked. "She said everything is going to be fine," Bail said, walking over to Dorme. He placed his hand on her shoulder. He didn't know what to do to Dorme. Her best friend lied there, unconscious. Bail turned to Obi-Wan while Dorme lowered her head to bed again. "What is it?" asked Obi-Wan. "She's going to be fine, Obi-Wan," Bail said. "There's something else," Obi-Wan said, digging into Bail's mind. "What is it?" "Ask me again sometime," Bail responded with a nod. Obi-Wan returned the comment by staring. Bail knew that he wanted to know what he was hiding. "Dorme," Bail said to the sobbing handmaiden. "Would you be okay if Obi-Wan and I left for a few minutes?" She looked up and nodded her head. ''I'll send a few guards to the room, and try to get Threepio and Artoo back here," he said. "Who knows what they've gotten into?" At that, he and Obi-Wan left the room and began walking down the long hallway.  
  
CHAPTER XXXVIII  
  
The roof of the hospital was surprisingly clean. It was used as relaxing for certain patients. Pillars and greenery stretched on it for anyone that wanted to escape the feeling of a hospital. Obi-Wan had expected Alderaan to have a few dirty areas, but the roof was just as clean as any part of the university. The two walked over to one of the edges of the building and stared off onto the university's campus. Students could be seen walking to classes, with books under their arms, flirting with each other, unknown to the evilness and corruption of the outside worlds. Their minds were focused on the fact that they could become anything they wanted to be, and nothing could stop them from doing so. "They're so young," Bail observed, staring at one of the couples, hand-in-hand, with the boy carrying his girlfriend's books. "They have no idea where this galaxy is heading." "Where is it heading, Bail?" asked Obi-Wan. "To Hell," Bail answered. "Straight to it, if you ask me. When I started the Coalition to Protect the Republic, I figured things would change for the better. I felt that Palpatine did nothing to help the Republic. I never knew that I could be more than right. Jar Jar and I worked so hard to recruit Senators and Delegates. And we thought we were indestructible. We were like our own little rebel force. Much like those students down there, we thought that nothing could stop us from doing what we thought was right and that would help the galaxy. And we failed. We failed to help those in need. We failed to destroy the corruption in the galaxy. We failed to protect the Republic." Bail lowered his head and continued to stare at the passing students. "Keep in mind, Bail, that the Emperor won't be in power forever," Obi- Wan said. "We will find a weakness and launch the entire galaxy against him. He can't take over the entire galax-" "Obi-Wan! Don't you see?!" Bail shouted. "The galaxy is already under his power! He's been playing us all for years and you think that a little group of rebels can defeat him? He's too powerful! First of all, who in the world would be crazy enough to form a rebellion to destroy his reign? Second, what do you think will happen after he's removed? Do you know that his friends will still be out there? Who knows how many he's made during his reign! You can't just form your own defense that quickly and strong!" "You can," Obi-Wan answered. "What?" asked Bail. "You can lead that rebellion," Obi-Wan repeated. "Bail, you are one of the strongest, most headstrong people I know. You are destined to bring order back to the Republic. There is still goodness left in the Republic. There are Senators that would follow you, just as you have done with the CPR. Jar Jar Binks, Orn Free Taa, Mon Mothma. They would all follow you. You are their leader." Bail smiled. The two continued to talk about the future, unknown to a group of white figures scattered behind different hiding spots on the roof. Their armor blended in nicely with the white roof. One of them held a speaker device and was recording everything the two said. As Bail continued to talk, Obi-Wan zoned out of his voice and focused on the disturbance he felt in the Force. He blocked out everything, except for his own breathing of himself. He closed his eyes and saw the storm troopers. He didn't actually see them clearly, but felt them through the Force. Their height, their boot sizes, their weapons, their thoughts, everything. He knew it was a trap and he opened his eyes and returned to Bail. Bail was still talking and looking puzzled at Obi-Wan when he motioned the fact that they were being spied on. How many? Bail mouthed. Obi-Wan held up eight fingers. What now? Bail asked. "So, what did the university rank this year?" Obi-Wan asked, facing forward and motioning for Bail to do the same. Bail caught on and continued the conversation, "You wouldn't believe this, but we got first again." The two continued there "conversation" while the storm trooper with the recording device stopped it and attached it to his belt. He stood up behind a pillar and looked at another trooper a few feet away. He motioned for them to go into attack on Bail and Obi-Wan. The second trooper agreed and pressed two buttons on his wrist, indicating to the other troopers to move in for capture. The seven other troopers confirmed by typing into their wrists and raised their weapons. They left from their hiding spaces and walked towards were Bail and Obi-Wan were standing. Instead, they weren't there. The troopers quickly searched the roof, but couldn't find anything. The lead trooper cursed himself, and ordered the others to follow. They followed and rushed down to the opposite side of the building, where a large enough shuttle waited for them. They all got in and flew off, disappearing behind a collection of buildings. The roof laid empty for a minute or two until a body flipped up from the side of the building onto it. Obi-Wan leaned over the edge and grabbed an arm, pulling the body up. Bail hopped up next to Obi-Wan and the two stared at each other. "What are they doing here?" Bail asked. "Palpatine better have a lot of explaining to do. We are neutral to his powers." It was then that Obi-Wan realized. "Padme," he gasped. The two sprinted to the nearest staircase leading into the hospital.  
  
CHAPTER XXXIX  
  
A light switched off as Mace took his final look into his apartment. His desk was cleaned off and all of the belongings that were on it were destroyed. The many books and scrolls that he stored were locked in the case he held. Inside was also a hologram of his first master and some clothing. He had never used the case before, and had never planned to use it when one of his old friends gave it to him. That friend had always hoped that he would take a break from the council and see the galaxy, but he never did. Instead, he would go into hiding. Sure he would see the galaxy, but only one part for the rest of his life. Or until the evil is destroyed, he thought. Until then, I will focus on the Force, and the Force alone. The automatic door shut behind him as he walked down a corridor, passing Yoda, Ki-Adi-Mundi, and Plo Koon's old rooms. They were large, and the only four apartments on the side of the Jedi Temple. The doors were locked shut to the three other Jedi's apartments. Yoda had taken only a few things when he went into hiding, and Mace followed the same idea. But where was he? asked himself. Yoda is one of secrecy. He had kept his feelings on Palpatine hidden for a long time, and he probably won't reveal his hiding space anytime soon to Obi-Wan or Bail. And it was probably better that he didn't. Mace was planning to hide on a planet he and his first Master went to settle a border dispute. It was only a few parsecs from Alderaan. There he could focus on the matter at hand: Palpatine, the Republic, the galaxy. Mace then realized that there was one last place he had to look at before he said his final goodbye to the Jedi Temple.  
  
The night had finally revealed the stars shining in the sky. Traffic continued as usual, but the ships stayed away from the Temple, as Palpatine had warned the public not to go near. It was almost as if an invisible field surrounded the Temple, not allowing ships to penetrate. Miles stretched from around the Temple, with no ships nearing. Mace stared out the window of the Jedi Council Chamber. For decades he had sat in that room, with the eleven other members, working together as protectors of peace in the galaxy. He remembered every single thing that came through the doors he just walked through, asking for aid or advice. He looked where the old members sat, but where their chairs used to be were empty spots. Ki-Adi's and Plo's were removed a few days after their deaths. Yoda's was removed when he left to go into hiding. But Mace's sat where it always had. He walked over to it and rubbed his hand over it. More memories shot through his head, but the one that stuck in his mind was the first time he saw Anakin Skywalker. His abilities with the Force were remarkable, Mace thought. But what he remembered most was the face Anakin gave him when he broke the news he would not be trained. Mace was talking with Qui-Gon Jinn at the time, but he could feel Anakin's anger boil. His glare and hate-filled eyes stared at him, but Mace couldn't read what was going on deep inside. He couldn't break through the hate. The memory faded as a disturbance in the Force filled Mace's body. He spun around to see the closed doors where they always had been. But as Mace stared at them for a few moments, they opened. Standing in the doorway was a dark, tall figure. He donned a black robe, with a hood pulled over its head. He stood there for a few seconds until he began to walk in the council chamber. His black boots made a low thudding sound as he walked through the doorway. He took a few steps until the door shut behind him. "Who are you?" Mace shouted, reaching for his lightsaber. His hand rested on it as the figure walked over the door mechanism and punched it with all its might. It shattered and little sparks shot out of it. The figure then, with its back turned, pulled down its hood and took off its robe. As the figure folded the robe and tossed it at the wall, Mace looked at its attire. It wore a black leather vest, black undershirt, and black pants. Black gloves covered its hands as they ran through its hair. "I asked a question, now answer it!" Mace shouted. The figure began to chuckle and shake its head. "Oh, Master Windu," it began. "Always demanding, never doing." Mace's eyes opened wide in shock. "Anakin," he said. The figure then turned to reveal Anakin smiling and holding his lightsaber. "Your insight serves you well," Anakin complimented. "Let's see how well it can against mine." In a quick flash, Anakin ignited his blue lightsaber and spun it around in the air with amazing skill to only bring it back to his side. "That took me an hour to learn." "Don't do this, Anakin," Mace said. "Palpatine is clouding your mind. He will betray you, just as he has all of his followers. Come back with us and we can stop the evilness." "You can't expect me to actually listen to what you're saying to me, do you?" asked Anakin. "I'm supposed to give into the very same people who betrayed me? All my life, I wanted my mother to be happy, I wanted to be happy. But thanks to the Jedi, I've failed. And now my mother lies died, buried in a grave in the middle of a desert! Her death will be avenged!" Anakin raised his lightsaber and leapt at Mace. A blue blur of light spun in the air as it came onto contact with a purple blade. Mace held it there with both hands and stared back into the black eyes of Anakin. Anakin smiled at this moment, for it was his first duel with a Jedi. The very people he had learned to hate because of their jealousness and betrayal. He pushed hard onto the purple blade, but Mace returned it, pushing so hard that Anakin gets pushed away from his stance. He stared at Mace as the Jedi quickly took off his robe and tossed onto his and the only chair in the chamber. The two warriors circled each other in the middle of the night, in the abandoned Jedi Temple. The hallways lied empty, the lights were shut off, and silence contaminated everything. But from a distance, the only part of the Temple that was alive was the chamber where blue against purple lightsabers could be seen striking each other in the dimly lit room. Anakin chuckled as he swung from side to side at the Jedi. It wasn't necessarily a funny experience, but rather an exciting one. For the first time in his life, he believed he was doing something for the good of the galaxy that made him feel good at the same time. "What's so funny, Anakin?" Mace asked, blocking the blows of the opponent's blade. "Nothing," answered Anakin. "Nothing at all. Just the fact that I will be the one to save the galaxy by destroying you, Jedi." "Your wrong about two things," Mace returned. "You won't be saving anyone by joining the Dark Side, Anakin. You will suffer the same way Palpatine has. You might not feel it now, but trust me, you will feel the pain." Mace sliced from the side, only to be blocked by Anakin. "And the other thing I'm wrong about?" Anakin asked, pushing Mace away with the force of his blade. "You won't be destroying any Jedi," Mace said, lowering his defenses. "I'll be sure of that." Anakin stared at the Jedi, whose lightsaber was now pointed down. The two stood there, staring at each other, while the night sky grew darker.  
  
CHAPTER XXXX  
  
The hospital was the same as it was when Obi-Wan and Bail had gone up to the roof. Doctors and their assistants still walked down the hallways, while patients were here and there. The two men sprinted down a hallway near Padme's room. Obi-Wan tried to tune into the Force and feel the storm troopers' presence, but could feel none. He pressed on, while Bail's mind was thinking the worse. She's gone, he kept on thinking. Palpatine knows about her baby and wants him. We're too late. We're too late. Obi-Wan could feel Bail's worrying and assured, "Don't worry, Bail. They probably haven't gotten to her yet." Bail tried to see it from Obi- Wan's point of view, but couldn't. As the men reached the long hallway leading to Padme's room, they saw that the door to her room was wide open and Padme wasn't in bed. In fact, no one was in the room. The two men looked at each other and sprinted down the hallway the fastest they could. When they reached the door, Obi-Wan pulled out his lightsaber, while Bail pulled out a small blaster. They looked at each other and nodded. They jumped into the room, expecting to find troopers waiting for them, but instead found something to their surprise. "Where have you been?" Dorme asked. She sat in chair by the window, while Padme sat on the ledge. Where they were in room, couldn't be seen through the doorway. Dorme had a book on her lap; with her hand in it to mark the page she had just finished reading. Padme turned to see the two men and smiled. "Sorry about fainting like that," she apologized. Bail blew a big gush of air out of his lungs and looked at Obi-Wan. He turned away from the group and tried to relax, while Obi-Wan walked over to Padme. He crouched down and looked at her closely. "You must listen to me carefully, Padme," Obi-Wan began. "Bail and I were on the roof and were almost caught by storm troopers, the Emperor's new warriors for the Republic. We hid ourselves and realized that they were here for someone: you. I don't know how the Emperor found out, but he has sent a small group here for you and the child. What we need to do is get you out of this hospital, quickly." Padme stared back at Obi-Wan with tears in her eyes. "When is it going to end, Obi-Wan? All of this running and hiding? I can't take it anymore, and you know that. I'm dying, I know I am, and I need you to save me. No more running, no more hiding. I want you to deal with this, please." Obi-Wan knew what she was asking. "Padme, killing these troopers won't stop the Emperor. He'll keep on looking for you, and nothing will stop him." Padme looked back at Obi-Wan, as a tears rolled down her face. "Get out." "Padme," Bail began, "Obi-Wan is right. If we were to-" "Get out!" Padme screamed with tears pouring down her face. Obi-Wan turned away and walked out of the room, followed by Bail. Dorme grabbed Padme's hand and held it close to her mouth, feeling the pain. "I want to sleep," Padme said, in a monotone voice. "The baby is tired."  
  
Obi-Wan and Bail stood outside the door in silence. Minutes passed until the door opened and Dorme quietly came outside. "What was that all about?" Bail asked her. "Something's wrong that she's not telling us." Dorme shook her head. "I don't know. I haven't seen her get that mad in a long time." "How could the Emperor know about the child?" Obi-Wan asked the group. "We were the only ones who knew." Dorme's eyes opened wide as she finally realized something. Bail saw this and was surprised. "What is it?" "The Emperor doesn't know," Dorme said, staring in empty space. "Padme never told Anakin." "What?" asked obi-Wan, walking closer to Dorme. "When he confronted her on Coruscant," she continued, "I wasn't in the room, but I overheard the argument. Padme never told him she was pregnant. There has to be some other reason the storm troopers are here." Bail felt relief flow through his body. But at that moment, fear began to run through. "I know why they're here," he said. "Why?" Obi-Wan asked. "For me," answered Bail. "Why you?" asked Dorme. "Because of who I am," Bail answered. "I don't know what he has planned, but he needs me. I must find out." With that, he turned from the group and began to walk down the hallway. Obi-Wan looked at Dorme. "Lock this door," he instructed. "Never let anyone enter, unless it's Bail or myself. You understand?" She nodded and Obi-Wan smiled before running off to catch up with Bail.  
  
Bail had already made it down the hallway, before Obi-Wan caught up with him. "What do you plan to do?" "I'm going to get caught," answered Bail, as he pressed a button for the elevator. "But you are in control of Alderaan," argued Obi-Wan. "What the Emperor is doing is illegal. You said it yourself. Have them arrested." "And then what?" responded Bail. "Just wait for Palpatine to make his next move? I don't think so." "Listen Bail," Obi-Wan began. "I don't think you should go marching into this. Padme needs you. We all need you." "Obi-Wan, if they kill me," started Bail, "Palpatine will on the number one hit list in the galaxy. I have friends who will pay big money to have him killed. He will pay for all that he has done. Come on, Obi-Wan. If anything goes wrong, I can handle myself." At that instant, the elevator doors opened, revealing eight storm troopers. The leader immediately jumped at Bail, hitting him in the chin with the butt of his gun. Bail fell to the ground as seven storm troopers surrounded Obi-Wan. The leader pointed his gun at Bail and shook his head. "Get up, scum. We have a room waiting for you."  
  
CHAPTER XXXXI  
  
Dialogue had not been exchanged between the two warriors. Instead, for the past few minutes, Mace and Anakin did nothing but stare back at each other. Mace had turned off his lightsaber but held the handle, while Anakin held his activated. The two stood there, reading each other's mind, anticipating who would make the first move. Mace closed his eyes for a brief moment, to focus his mind on the Force. When he opened his eyes, Anakin caught him off-guard and plunged his lightsaber into his stomach. Mace screamed and punched Anakin square in the face. Anakin flew back, sliding on the floor into the wall. He groaned in pain, but looked at Mace, who begun to walk to his chair. He gripped the arm and slowly sat down. He groaned as he shifted in his seat to get comfortable, and looked at Anakin, who was getting up from the ground. Anakin approached and stood right in front of the seated Jedi. The two stared at each other until Mace lifted his hand up. "You'll never win," Mace whispered, offering a handshake to Anakin, who he had known for over a decade. Anakin just stood in front of the dying Jedi Master. He turned off his lightsaber and attached to his black belt. His eyes locked with the Jedi Master as he smirked at him and turned his back. Mace sat watching the dark warrior slice open the locked door with his lightsaber and leave. Now all the Jedi could do, with his hand gripping his wound, was await death. Death that was inevitable.  
  
From the traffic's point of view, Palpatine's office was completely dark. The black room stayed dark from the night sky and lack of lights. Palpatine's chin rested in his hand as he stared off into the distance.  
  
Sly Moore stood outside the doors leading to the office, as Anakin marched down the hallway towards her. She glared as Anakin grew closer. He had a cocky smile on his face, and if there was one thing Sly hated was Anakin's self-confidence. When he began visiting Palpatine those years ago, she didn't have any feelings towards him. But when the Emperor became his Master, her hatred grew and grew. Anakin quickly walked by Sly who watched his movement into the Emperor's office.  
  
When Palpatine heard the doors open, he awaited his apprentice's approach. Anakin walked to the front of Palpatine's desk and bowed with a smile on his face. "Greetings, my Master," began Anakin. "I bring good news." "Master Windu?" Palpatine asked, with his chair turned "Dead," smiled Anakin. "I took care of it personally." Palpatine did not smile back at Anakin. Instead he continued to look out the window. "I've received word from the gangster Jabba the Hutt on Tatooine of a proposition I am interested in," Palpatine began. He didn't feel any change in Anakin or his face upon the mention of Tatooine. He then dug into Anakin's mind and found what he was looking for. Anakin grabbed his mother's dead body tightly. He lowered her and with his hand closed her opened eyes. Anger began to boil, and hate began to rise deep inside his heart and mind. He set his mother down and held his lightsaber as he ripped through the Tusken tent and sliced the heads off of two Tusken Raiders. He raised the blade as a Tusken ran towards him, which he decapitated in seconds. As the body fell to the floor, the head rolled towards a child Tusken. The child walked towards it and stared at it for a few seconds, until he looked up to see black eyes staring back at them. Dried tears were on the figure's cheeks as he raised his lightsaber at the child. Anakin! Anakin! Nooo! shouted a voice. Palpatine came out of the trance, not believing what he heard. That voice, he thought. I have not heard that voice since. His thoughts trailed off as Anakin repeated asking, "Master? Master?" Palpatine shook his head and continued speaking with Anakin. "As I was saying, an offer has been made by a close friend of the gangster for an item we can access." "What item is that?" Anakin asked, curiously. "A lightsaber," answered Palpatine, spinning around in his chair to face Anakin. "The late Windu's lightsaber." "How much is being offered?" Anakin asked. "It is none of your concern, my friend," reassured Palpatine. "All your concern should be is to retrieve the Jedi's weapon from where you.'corrected' him of his mistakes." Palpatine smiled evilly at Anakin, who bowed and left room to return to the Jedi Temple.  
  
CHAPTER XXXXII  
  
The cell was empty except for the Jedi leaning against the wall. He had been there for the past hour while Bail sat, chained to a block in the center of a room. The room had crates stacked on top of each other. Three storm troopers stood around the seated figure, while two guarded the door to the room, another two in front of Obi-Wan's cell, and one crouching down in front of Bail. The storm trooper hadn't asked Bail a single question, but instead smacked and punched him. Blood dripped from Bail's nose, and bruises and gashes covered parts of his face. "What do you want?!" Bail shouted. "I give in! What is it?!" The trooper stopped striking him and grabbed a small rag. He wiped the blood off of Bail's face and blotted the openings. He threw the rag on the ground, and waited for the blood to stop dripping. The wounds stopped bleeding, and trooper walked away from Bail. "I'm asking you," he began, "What do you want? What does Palpatine want? I'll tell you what you want to know!" The trooper stopped in his tracks, and with his back turned to Bail, asked. "Really? You'll tell us anything?" He spun around, walking slowly back to Bail. "Yes!" shouted a relieved Bail. "I've been saying that this whole time! You must believe me!" The trooper stuck his face right in Bail's face. With both hands behind his back, he said, "Well, the unfortunate thing is that we don't." The trooper quickly brought the blaster rifle he was holding behind his back to Bail's skull. A loud THUD sent Bail over to the side; knocking over the block he was sitting on. He lied on the floor, tied to the block, as the troopers in the room began laughing. Obi-Wan turned in disgust as Bail lied in pain on the ground. He walked over to the opening and beat his hands against the wall. From outside the cell, Obi-Wan's shouting words were muted by the soundproof walls. He gave up as the troopers continued laughing at the fallen Bail. Walking back and forth, Obi-Wan searched for a plan. Looking through the bluish walls, he spied his lightsaber attached to the belt of one of the storm troopers guarding his cell. The Force became his only ally as Obi-Wan tuned into a storm trooper's mind. It was easy to do, and soon enough Obi-Wan commanded through thought, Open the door. Do not attract attention. Hand me the lightsaber. Open the door. Do not attract attention. Hand me the lightsaber. He repeated these over and over to the storm trooper guarding his door. The trooper pulled a key from his belt and slid it through a reader on the outside wall of the cell. The door disappeared and the trooper walked towards Obi-Wan with the Jedi's lightsaber in his hand. Obi-Wan smiled as everything was going perfectly until voices shouted, "TK- 15, what are you doing?" "It's the Jedi!" "Blast him!" Obi-Wan grabbed his lightsaber out of the storm trooper's hand with the Force and activated it. Blasters began shooting at Obi-Wan, as the bolts hit the mind-tricked storm trooper or bounced off the outside walls of the cell. The storm troopers picked hiding spots in the room, as Bail lied on the floor, tied to the block. Obi-Wan ran out of his cell and grabbed Bail's body. He quickly dragged the body and block behind a stack of crates. Bail was unconscious as Obi-Wan left him, searching for troopers. The Jedi moved from crate to crate, quickly and quietly. He used the Force to find the enemies, but Bail's pain from the beatings weighted his mind. As Obi-Wan was about to turn the corner of a crate, the feeling of a blaster placed on the back of his head made him stop. "Jedi scum," the trooper said. "I thought the Emperor had gotten rid of all of you." At that instant, all of the seven other troopers came out of their hiding spots and pointed their blasters at Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan shut off his lightsaber and held the handle at his side. "On your knees, Jedi," the trooper ordered, keeping the blaster to the back of his head. Obi-Wan obeyed and got down on both knees as the trooper backed away from him to join the other troopers. "I must notify the Emperor of this. We shall have the honor of executing the last of the Jedi." Obi- Wan closed his eyes and awaited the fire of the troopers. But just as soon as he closed his eyes, he opened them to find something to his surprise. Between the storm troopers' legs, he could see the door to the room. It opened slowly, a quick blur shot through it, disappearing behind a crate. The blur then dived behind another crate, moving closer and closer to the line of aiming troopers. As it grew closer and closer, the lead storm trooper ordered the rest to fire on his command. One. Two. "What was that you said about the last of the Jedi?" Obi-Wan asked. The blur shot past behind the troopers. The lead trooper lowered his arm and stared at the kneeling Obi-Wan through his helmet. "That we would have the honor of executing the last of the Jedi." Obi-Wan smiled. "I'm not the last." A warrior scream and the activation of a lightsaber was the last thing two of the storm troopers heard as a green figure flipped over the group. It stopped in front of the remaining six and held its lightsaber close to it. Yoda shook its head at the group and dived at two of them, stabbing one in the stomach, and slashing the other across the chest. The two bodies fell to the floor, but the little, green Jedi was not finished. He stuck out his arm and used the Force to grab the rifles out of the hands of the three remaining troopers. The weapons flew off and hit the wall, quickly followed by the troopers themselves as they were Force-pushed the thirty feet away. Yoda lowered his arm and deactivated his lightsaber. He attached it to his belt and stared at Obi-Wan. A face of sorrow was on the creature. As he began to walk towards Obi-Wan, the lead storm trooper ran out from behind a crate holding a blaster, aimed at the little Jedi Master. "Master!" Obi-Wan shouted, as Yoda quickly turned around to find a blaster pointed at him. The trooper fired the weapon, and the blast shot out from the weapon at Yoda. Right before it was fired, a bloody hand held a blaster and fired at the trooper. The two different blasts traveled at the same time: one towards Yoda, and the other towards the trooper. Millie-seconds before the blast hit Yoda, the Jedi's lightsaber shot into its hand and the green blade blocked the red blur. The red blast returned back to the shooter, and the trooper was hit by both blasts, sending him back into a crate. Both Jedi Masters turned to see Bail holding a blaster, leaning his side against a crate. His face was bleeding in certain places, and his black eye was prominent. He turned dazed to see Yoda. "Nice to see you," he said in a slurred way, as he walked to the two Jedi.  
  
CHAPTER XXXXIII  
  
Anakin stood at the main entrance hall to the Jedi Temple. It was in the middle of the night, and the world around him was silent. Off into the distance, lights flashed, shouting and club music could be heard, but Anakin zoned out from the faint noises, and kept his mind on the Temple. He began to walk up the steps and enter through large door he left open when he was last there. The main entrance and hallways were completely dark. No light shined on them, and Anakin was forced to use his lightsaber as a source for light. When Palpatine had ordered for him to go to the Temple, Anakin went during the day when it was light, and then waited for nightfall. Then, when the night did fall, Anakin made his move. The blue lightsaber hummed and echoed in the tall and long hallways. Moving it from side to side created moving shadows on the wall. Shadows that followed Anakin all along his journey. The memory shot through his mind of the factory on Nkllon, where he relied on the light of his lightsaber to find Count Dooku. Count Dooku, Anakin thought. Count Dooku. He couldn't think of anything to think about the Ex-Jedi turned Sith. All he could do was walk to the elevators that would lead him to his destination.  
  
The Jedi Council chamber lay dead silent. The dim light stayed lit from before, as it cast shadows on the walls and floor. Long, thin shadows, like fingers stretched towards the sliced open doorway. As they stretched closer and closer towards the door, Anakin appeared. He walked through the cut-out door and stopped dead when he saw Mace sitting in the same chair. His eyes were closed and he clutched his lightsaber in his left hand. His right was clutching the lightsaber wound in his stomach. Anakin slowly approached the dead Jedi. His footsteps echoed from the room into the hallway. Step after step, he stuck his hand farther out to grab the lightsaber. Little beads of sweat trickled down his chin. He wiped them off and returned to reach for the lightsaber. The closest step to Mace was made, and Anakin stood there, staring at Mace, with his hand outstretched. His fingers began to twitch, and small beads of sweat formed on his knuckles. One trailed off his hand, and landed right on Mace's leg. The sound of a bucket of water hitting the ground went through Anakin's ear. He flinched upon hearing it and drew his hand back. He took a few steps back and wiped the sweat from his face. He gathered his strength and walked straight up to Mace. In an instant, the lightsaber came alive and a purple blade shot right up to Anakin's face. The blade came centimeters to Anakin's face when it stopped. Anakin stared cross-eyed at it, and then moved down the blade to the person holding it. Mace stared with his eyes half open at Anakin. "Like I said," the Jedi began, "you'll never win." Anakin could do nothing but stare at the purple blade, pointed right in the middle of his face. "Why are you doing this?" Mace asked. "For what purpose? Is it out of anger? Hate? Fear? What is it, Anakin? I didn't want you to be trained, and I was right. Look at what you have become! You're killing people for no reason, betraying the Jedi, who gave you a new, free life, going agai." Mace's voice trailed off as Anakin's mind captured those words: .the Jedi, who gave you a new, free life.Freedom? Anakin thought. I've never been free. But now I am. Anakin then remembered what he was there for. As Mace continued to talk, he quickly grabbed the lightsaber from his belt, and struck the blade in his face. The purple blade fell to the side as Anakin rolled over in the opposite direction to avoid the Jedi's weapon. He gathered his footing and checked Mace up and down. The Jedi Master had stopped clutching his stomach where he was hit, and instead stood tall holding his lightsaber at his side. Anakin spun his lightsaber in the air as he had before. The two Jedi were done checking each other up and down, and charged at each other with lightsabers blazing. The two blades met with a force Anakin had never felt before. His lightsaber came towards his face as Mace pushed down on his. The two fighters separated and spun their lightsabers only to come back again. Mace spun in circles as his lightsaber went with him. Anakin blocked one of the spins, but ducked as the second spin nearly took his head off. While crouched down, he took a stab at Mace's legs, to which Mace flipped over Anakin. When Anakin quickly stood up, Mace kicked him in the chest. He flew back and hit Mace's chair. Pain shot through his body as he reached back, grabbing his neck. Mace walked towards the fallen Anakin, not feeling a bit of sympathy. "I am not the one to destroy you," Mace said, shutting off his lightsaber and attaching it to his belt. He put both hands on his sides and walked over to a window. "Your destiny lies somewhere else. Not with me." Anakin was now relieved of his pain, and began to get up from the ground, staring at Mace. "Leave me. I'm giving you the decision to chose the right path." Anakin began to walk closer and closer to the Jedi. "But if I find that you are using the Dark Side." When Anakin was a few feet behind him, Mace spun around with his lightsaber ignited. ".I will destroy you." Anakin blocked the swing and the two began dueling again. Anakin spun around, blocking stabs with his back turned. He brought the lightsaber across Mace's front, only to be brought back as Mace sung underneath it. Anakin started walking backwards as Mace pushed on, spinning and swinging, swinging and spinning. As Anakin jumped to avoid a swing at his legs, Mace's lightsaber slashed his left shoulder. The black vest burned and sizzled as the lightsaber met with it. Anakin grabbed his shoulder in pain; feeling bits of his flesh burn away. Mace stepped away while Anakin tried to push away the pain. He swung his lightsaber at his side, as Anakin began breathing heavy. Images raced through Anakin's mind as he crouched on the floor, holding his shoulder. The images of him killing Dooku, confronting his wife, and when he thought he had killed Mace flowed through his mind. Arise, my friend, a voice commanded. Arise and destroy those who wronged you. Anakin slowly stood up and raised his lightsaber. Mace jumped at the moment, and the two dived into their fighting. The blue and purple blades shot back and forth, from side to side, blocking and jabbing at each other. Kill the Jedi, Anakin. Anakin pushed forward, causing Mace to be right up against a wall. Mace rolled to the side, only to have Anakin strike the wall, slashing into it. He quickly brought his lightsaber out and swung while Mace's back was turned. Instead of slicing Mace in half, Mace brought the lightsaber behind his back and blocked the swing. The two of them spun their lightsabers and had them meet while they were staring at each other. The "X" the lightsabers formed allowed them to look into each other's eyes. Mace's were strong and heavy, while Anakin's were black and solid. The two pulled away from their position and jumped back a few feet. Anakin stuck his arm out and Force-pushed Mace back into a wall. The Jedi was caught off guard as he managed to push himself off of the ground and regain his footing. Anakin caught Mace off guard and grabbed the hand that was about to stab. He used this moment to stick his lightsaber into Mace's thigh. A scream filled the room, and echoed through the Temple. Mace grabbed the hole in his leg as he fell to the floor. His lightsaber fell a few feet from him as the pain grew and grew. Anakin smiled and walked right next to the Jedi. He crouched down next to him and patted him on the chest. The new wound he made in him, and the old one in his stomach caught his eye. "One, two wounds," Anakin smiled. He stopped looking at them and locked eyes with the Jedi. Mace's face was covered in sweat and his eyes were red with pain. "I can't believe you're trying to win." Mace sputtered as blood trickled out of his lips and ran down his cheek. "Y-y-you w-will never w-win, Anakin." "I know," Anakin responded sarcastically. "I know, Master Jedi." He then stood up and turned his back to Mace. "But there's one thing." He quickly spun around and ignited his lightsaber and plunged it into Mace's chest. ".you lose." Mace closed his eyes and gasped for air as his chest burned through. Anakin slowly turned the blade and then pulled it out, staring at the Jedi. Mace opened his eyes and stared at Anakin. Moments passed when Mace didn't blink or breath. Anakin then knew that the Jedi was dead. He attached his lightsaber to his belt and began to walk out of the room, until he remembered. The lightsaber rested next to Mace's dead body and was picked up by Anakin. He looked it over and then walked out of the room, leaving the Jedi Master lying dead in the center of the Jedi Council chamber floor. The lights burned out and the body was left in darkness, alone with the night.  
  
CHAPTER XXXXIV  
  
Yoda closed his eyes in pain as he felt the spirit of Mace leave his body. He gripped a nearby crate and supported himself on it, while Bail picked up the shot storm trooper. "Master Yoda?" Obi-Wan asked the Jedi. "Are you all right?" "Fine," Yoda answered. "A voice I heard, screaming." Obi-Wan pondered what the Jedi said, until he was distracted by Bail throwing the storm trooper up against a crate. Bail grabbed a blaster on the floor and pointed right at the trooper. "Why are you here?" Bail screamed, pushing the blaster tightly into the trooper's chest. "W-we-e were s-s-sent here by the Emperor," he sputtered. "He has something planned. I don't know what, but something to do with the Coalition to Protect the Republic." "Does he want me dead?" Bail asked. "No," the trooper answered. "At least, I don't think he does. He knows how powerful you are. He told me to torture you and then bring you to Coruscant to witness the end of the Republic." "The end of the Republic?" "Yes. Those were his exact words. He's creating a new government, one that you can still be a part of. He said if you don't join, you and your people would be destroyed. I don't know how he'd do it, but he seemed serious." "Who else is involved?" "All I know are two other names: Mon Mothma and Jar Jar Binks. He's sent troops to Chandrila for her, but he said he would take care of Senator Binks personally." "Why torture me?" "He wanted you to suffer for all the years you've abused him," he answered. "He awaits your answer." The trooper pointed to a hologram device on a table. Bail stared at it and returned his eyes to the trooper. He spun him around and threw him into a nearby wall. The breaking of a neck was heard as the trooper's body went limp. Bail walked over to Obi-Wan and Yoda, who had both remained quiet during Bail's interrogation of the trooper. "What now?" Obi-Wan asked. Bail didn't respond. Instead, he looked at hologram device. "Would you two please leave?" he asked. Obi-Wan looked down at Yoda and the two left the room. Before the two Jedi left, Obi-Wan turned and said, "We'll meet you back at the hospital." Bail nodded and the two exited. When the door closed, Bail turned on the device and began his message to the Emperor.  
  
The blue, static image shined on half of the Emperor's face, keeping the other half in complete darkness. His eyes stayed straight on Bail's face as the hologram shook and split a few times. "I agree with you, your Excellency," Bail said. "When your 'new government' goes into effect, I would be pleased to represent Alderaan in the Senate. Again, I apologize, your Excellency, for my past behavior in your Senate and I look forward to serving you and the galaxy in the future." As Bail's image bowed to the Emperor, he pressed a button in front of him, pausing the image. This was the third time he had listened to the recording and still smiled. Everything and everyone is going my way, he thought. Nothing can stop me now. Palpatine then sensed Anakin's presence. He is successful, Palpatine foresaw. He pressed a button on his desk, making the hologram disappear and the lights come up just as Anakin walked through the doors. He walked with a great stride, yet also weak from the fight. He walked up to the Emperor's desk and handed him the lightsaber, handle first. "His lightsaber," Anakin beamed. He was awaiting congratulating words as the Emperor took the weapon, but instead was rewarded with silence. The Emperor held the lightsaber in his hands, looking it over. He could feel bits of Mace's midi-chlorians on the weapon. His eyes closed as he looked back into the past at the fight between Anakin and the Jedi. He had been giving Anakin guidance during the fight, and was happy it paid off. "Your Excellency?" a hologram of Sly Moore was presented on the desk. Palpatine opened his eyes and looked back at the image. "Yes?" "Your guest has arrived," Sly answered. "Shall I show him in?" A smile formed on Palpatine's face and he nodded. "Bring him in." When the hologram shut off, Palpatine looked at Anakin and said, "This is where your next mission begins." Anakin was confused about what the Emperor was saying. Who is this guest? he thought. Then, the doors to the office opened and Sly began to walk down the corridor into the main part of the office. She was so graceful; she almost glided to the Emperor. Footsteps could be heard, coming from behind her, echoing in the metallic, wide room. When Sly reached the steps leading up to the Emperor's desk, she stopped. "Your Excellency," she began. "May I present Boba Fett?" She stepped to the side revealing a twelve-year-old boy standing behind her. The boy's eyes were dark, and his black hair was messy on his head. A scar on his left cheek went from ear to the middle of his cheek. He was a little over five feet, but stood tall, holding a blaster rifle to his side with gloves. Green armor rested on his shoulders, arms, legs and chest. Underneath the armor he wore a gray suit, and a belt with a different gun on it and a few packets. Anakin couldn't believe the outfit on him and scoffed as he saw the young boy. Boba quickly snapped his head to Anakin and stared at him. "Is there a problem, Jedi?" Anakin stared. "I'm no Jedi, friend. I'm better." "Me too," he smiled, and returned his eyes to Palpatine and bowed. "Emperor Palpatine, I presume." "Arise, Boba Fett," Palpatine ordered. Boba stood up as Palpatine motioned for Sly to leave. Sly glared at the guest and left the room. As soon as the doors closed, Palpatine grabbed Mace's lightsaber and handed it to the boy. Boba stood there, staring at it, but then shook his head and reached for it. It slid into his hand and he gripped it tightly. He smiled as a small tear rolled down his cheek, hitting the scar on his face. The tear stopped at the scar and rolled down it, hitting his mouth. Boba attached the lightsaber to his belt and looked at the Emperor. Wiping the tear from his face with one flick of his finger, he smiled. "And I have something for you as well," Boba said. "It's waiting in three cases in the lobby." He quickly turned and walked towards the doors. "Help him," Palpatine ordered to Anakin, who was unsure as to who this person was. Anakin obeyed and followed the boy out into the lobby. There next to Sly Moore sat three silver cases. Anakin lifted one and groaned from the weight. "What's in these?" Anakin asked. "The payment for the lightsaber," Boba answered, lifting one of the cases. "Let me lift that other one for you," Anakin offered, suffering from the weight he was lifting. Boba grabbed it before he could and lifted it with ease. "I think I'd do better with it." Anakin sneered at him as the two walked into the Emperor's office. They set the cases down next to the desk, and sat down in the chairs in front of Palpatine. "We are grateful for your payment," Palpatine thanked. Boba nodded and Anakin rolled his eyes. At the press of a button on Palpatine's desk, the lights dimmed down and a screen came down on one of the walls. "What I am about to inform you on is one of the most important missions for the cleansing of my new government," Palpatine began. "You both will carry out this mission due to fact that you, Boba, have been recommended by your boss, a close friend of mine, and you, Anakin, because of your loyalty to me. Now let's begin." Twelve images of Senators popped up onto the screen. "Before you are the leading members of a group known as the Coalition to Protect the Republic. They are a group of Senators that.disagree with my ideas and feel that it is a wise decision to provoke me. They have caused other Senators to leave the Senate, but no worry. I am ordering you two to help me rid of the 'viruses' of the Republic. When that is done, the Republic will be cleaner, yet stained. But my ideas are none of your worries right now. All that you two need to know is that these Senators must be eliminated. Immediately. In the next few hours, the group will be having a meeting in the apartment of former Senator Jar Jar Binks. All leading members are supposed to be there and I hope that you two can be there as well." An image of Jar Jar Binks popped up on the screen. "I believe you have a past with this creature, Anakin. His stupidity and ignorance have died down through the years, and his intelligence and argumentative skills have improved. He is too powerful and could help me in my plan. So, he lives, everyone else dies. Understood?" Anakin and Boba nodded slowly at the same time. The two figures stood from their chairs and began to walk towards the door. "You two," Palpatine began. "Remember: I want Binks alive." "As you wish," responded Boba. "I will not fail, my Master," Anakin answered with a bow. Palpatine waved his hand and the two left the office. His chair slowly spun to the window, and Palpatine stared off into the sky. The sun will soon be rising, he thought. And those Senators will never see it again. The Emperor cackled to himself at the thought.  
  
CHAPTER XXXXV  
  
As soon as the cloth reached one of the wounds on Bail's face he bit his teeth and squeezed his eyes closed. The pain went through his body as the medicine mixed with his blood. "That really hurts," Bail whispered, with tears forming in his eyes. Dorme rubbed the wound softer and smiled at the man in front of her. He opened his eyes and a few tears rolled down his cheek. She broke into laughing at the sight. "You big baby!" she laughed. "You can take getting punched in the face, but you can't handle a little antibiotics?" Bail smiled and wiped the tears from his face. "They aren't tears of pain, it's just that this stuff really burns!" Dorme laughed a bit more and threw the cloth into the trashcan. She reached for a bandage and opened it. "Wait," Bail ordered. "What's that?" "This?" Dorme asked, slapping the bandage onto the wound. Bail growled and gritted his teeth, partly laughing. "You know you're not much of a nurse," commented Bail. "Well, you're not much of a patient," responded Dorme. The two smiled at each other and stared at each other.  
  
The hallways were quiet and empty as C-3PO and R2-D2 traveled through. The two droids had been walking around the campus all day and had finally returned to the hospital. "I told you not to correct that security droid," 3PO said to the small, blue droid. A few beeps came back to 3PO. "I don't care if you're not a student, you don't talk to higher authority like that!" R2 made a smart-alecky noise and wheeled ahead of the other droid. "I am polite. I never talk poorly to others! I only speak when spoken to. And during those other times I am completely silent." R2 wasn't listening and instead was quite far ahead of 3PO. "Artoo! Wait for me!" 3PO shouted, chasing after the droid. But after R2 turned a corner, 3PO was lost in a dark hallway. "Oh, no!" The droid walked down the hallway with caution, looking from side to side, and doing his best to watch his back. Water dripping could be heard echoing in the hallway and 3PO was getting very frightened. Whispers could be heard quietly, then growing louder and thicker. That was enough for the droid and he began "running" down the hallway. His stiff legs didn't take him far when a hand grabbed him and pulled him into a room, shutting the door behind him. A light turned on and 3PO found himself staring a crazed, old man, muttering to himself. His hair was sticking in all directions and his beard had not been groomed for years. He walked over to 3PO and poked the droid's chest. A thudding sound was heard, and he then knocked the chest with his fist. "Excuse me!" 3PO shouted, and the man responded with incoherent shouting and babbling. "Droids!" the man shouted. "Droids are all over the place! They break in here at night and give me medication! Medication! Bah! I don't need it! All I need is to prove them I'm not crazy! And I know how. You know how I can?" "How, sir?" asked 3PO. The man smiled and turned his back. Metal began clunking as a box was being rummaged through. 3PO looked at the man's turned back and wondered what he was doing. "Excuse me, sir?" the droid asked. "I think I might need to meet my-" "This!" the man shouted, holding a small saw in his hand. "This is how I will prove to them droids! I'll prove I'm not crazy when they see your head outside my door!" The saw headed straight for 3PO's head. He quickly dodged it and scrambled over to the door, which was locked. "Stop droid! It won't hurt!" The man began chasing 3PO around the room wielding the saw, planning to get what he wanted. 3PO began shouting for help, which was soon drowned out by the sound of a saw cutting through the door. A small rectangle was cut out from the door and the piece fell to the floor. From outside rolled R2, sliding the blade back into its interior shell. "R2! Help!" 3PO shouted as the man grabbed the droid's head and positioned the saw on his neck. R2 quickly rolled over to the man and withdrew a small black device. The droid whistled and got the man's attention. Electricity shot from the small device hitting the man in the side, sending him down to the floor. His eyes closed as the stun device went into work. 3PO took one look at the unconscious man and headed straight for the door. R2 shook his top dome from the lack of gratitude from his frightened friend. 3PO tried to fit through the small rectangle made in the door, but got stuck and cried for R2 to help him once again.  
  
Obi-Wan and Yoda sat on a bench in the middle of the university's campus. The stars had been out for an hour and the two had watched them appear. There were no late classes for the students, so the two Jedi could have an actual conversation without interruption. "Where have you been Master Yoda?" Obi-Wan asked. "Mace and I were beginning to worry." "Many places I have been, Obi-Wan," Yoda answered. "Some I would never want to see again. Things I have seen that make me feel the worse about what is happening." "And what is happening?" asked Obi-Wan. "Too much evil," answered Yoda. "Meditating I have been in seclusion. See things there I couldn't see anywhere else." "What do you see?" "Suffering. For Anakin, for Padme, for galaxy, for everyone. Something terrible has happened on Coruscant. Feel it I can. You must go." "To Coruscant? Why?" "Answer waiting for you there. In Jedi Temple. Getting to old for adventures, Obi-Wan. You must go alone." "What is waiting for me?" "Answers." Obi-Wan didn't respond, but instead seemed eager to find what was waiting. He stood up and bowed to Yoda. He walked off, down the sidewalk to the hospital for his Jedi Starfighter. "Obi-Wan," Yoda called after the walking Jedi. Obi-Wan turned to green figure on the bench. "When come back you do, a decision you must have," Yoda ordered. Obi-Wan didn't know what decision he was supposed to have, but nodded and preceded to the hospital.  
  
The roof was empty except for the figure leaning against a pillar. Greenery and pillars covered the roof and a fountain sat in the center, displaying different colors and shapes of water. But none of this made Padme feel any better. She had been up there for the past hour, thinking of her child. Breeze blew, causing Padme's silk robe to flutter and move. She ignored her hair getting in her face, and instead stared at the colors in the fountain. Almost hypnotized by the colors, her mind began wandering. Anakin. Jedi. Hate. Anger. Love. Alone. Naboo. Tatooine. Coruscant. Palpatine. Senate. Obi-Wan. Battle. War. Life. Death. Betrayal. Deception. Light. Darkness. Padme didn't realize that while her mind was wandering, so was her body. She had moved from one of the pillars to the edge of the roof. Her hands rubbed the edge, as her mind was lost in its own world. Anakin. Slavery. Freedom. Courage. Wisdom. Confidence. Anxiety. Fear. Aggression. Light. Darkness. Padme was now standing on the edge of the roof with her arms spread out wide. The wind kicked up again, and her hair and robe followed with it. A tear rolled down her cheek as she looked up to the sky. The stars shined at her and a few twinkled. The tear rolled of her cheek and fell the thirty stories below. Padme watched as the tear fell, fading from her view. She took a deep a breath and took one last thought before jumping. Anakin. Love. Hate. Peace. War. Light. Darkness. None of it matters. Padme looked down one last time and jumped. Her clothing and hair flapped in the wind, as the ground grew closer and closer. Lights from the hospital rooms flashed by as her body fell right by. Seconds from hitting the ground, a final thought went through Padme's mind. Anakin. Child. Anakin's child. My child. It does matter. Padme realized she had made a terrible mistake and screamed as she met with the ground.  
  
Her eyes opened and Padme found herself on the roof. She was curled up on the ground in front of the fountain. She shivered as the cold wind blew on skin. What happened? She looked at her arms and legs, realizing that she never jumped. It was just a dream. A dream. She sighed and stood up, rubbing her stomach. She could feel the baby kicking inside and smiled. I will never take your life, my love. With that she walked to the staircase leading back into the hospital. As soon as she disappeared, a figure came out from the shadows. His cane tapped lightly on the ground as he made his way to the edge of the roof. He gripped the edge and shook his head. Yoda had never felt worse. He had used the Force to save lives before, but never like this. This was the first time he had ever saved someone from killing themselves.  
  
CHAPTER XXXXVI  
  
Jar Jar's apartment was a few miles away from the Senate, and it sat at the top of the apartment complex. A ship flew by the penthouse and lowered itself to bottom of the building, a hundred stories below. A few other ships were on the landing bay, and the ship landed next to them. The hatch opened and out waddled Orn Free Taa. He held both hands in front of him as he walked into an elevator on the platform. He pressed the top floor and the glass pod shot up to its destination. The Senator was a little nervous and wasn't very happy that the pod was glass. For the past few days he had been getting very bad feelings that he was going to be assassinated. He and the Emperor had had an argument in the Senate a few days ago, and the next day he received a death threat in the mail. The thought came through his mind to get bodyguard, but he never did. Instead, he stood alone in the elevator as it neared the top floor. A few moments later, the elevator stopped dead. Orn Free was sent to his knees and began to fear the worse. He hit all the buttons to different floors, but none of them would work. He pounded the door to elevator, until he heard a loud groaning. The sound of metal being stretched filled his ears. With a loud snapping sound, the elevator began to plummet downward. Orn Free grabbed the railing and held on tightly as the elevator sped down to the landing platform at an unbelievable speed. Despite his size, the Senator was lifted up into the air, but held onto the railing. His feet raised into the air, as he waited crashing into the ground. But instead, the elevator began to slow down. Orn Free fell to the ground as the elevator slowly came to a stop on the platform. The Senator slowly stood up and pressed a button to open the elevator door. The doors opened and Orn Free stared at a tall figure and a shorter one. Their faces were hidden by shadows, but the Senator could tell what they were when he felt a blaster rest right between his eyes. The last thing he heard was his heavy breathing.  
  
Jar Jar Binks sat in a chair with a desk in front of him. The circle window behind him showed the traffic in the dark sky. A bit of pink mixed in at the horizon, as the sun was to rise in the next hour. Captain Typho stood near him with his usual blaster armed. He had never left Jar Jar's side ever since he denounced his Senatorial position. In front of Jar Jar were eleven chairs. They were curved into a semi-circle and had ten Senators seated in them. The third chair from the right was empty, and a few of the Senators were curious as to where Orn Free was. Jar Jar knew that Orn Free was never late for a meeting, and feared the worst. Instead of waiting he stood up with his arms open. "Mesa friends," Jar Jar began. "Mesa afraid dat Senator Orn Free Taa issa not here. Wesa will comensa of de meeting witouta him." The Senators agreed and waited for Jar Jar to begin the meeting.  
  
Anakin and Boba stood in the elevator without exchanging words. Anakin kept his hand on his lightsaber, while Boba held his blaster with both hands. His belt still had the gun attached to it Anakin had seen earlier and had a few other packets. "Have you ever done anything like this before?" Anakin asked, breaking the moment of silence. Boba smirked and looked up at his partner. "Worse."  
  
Jar Jar stood up and walked in front of his desk. He leaned onto the edge of it and began to speak when the noise of the elevator arriving caused everyone to turn around in their chairs. The doors slowly opened, revealing the body of Orn Free to be standing in the doorway. He was so far away from the other Senators, that they didn't notice the hole in his forehead. "Ah, Senator Taa!" Jar Jar exclaimed. "Mesa so happy yousa maden it!"  
  
Orn Free stood in the elevator opening, not moving or saying a word. The other Senators looked at each other, confused as to why the large, blue Senator didn't say or do anything. "Senator Taa?" Jar Jar asked. Orn Free fell to ground, revealing Anakin behind him. He stared at the Senators, holding his lightsaber handle. "Annie?" Jar Jar asked. "Mesa haven't seena yousa foreber! Wasa yousa doin here?" "This," answered Anakin. From behind one of the elevator's walls, Boba jumped out aiming his blaster at the Senators. He fired, sending blast after blast at the panicking Senators. Those who had not been shot, jumped up screaming, looking for a way out of the apartment. But do to the furniture and amount of Senators, those who were running around, tripped and fell to the floor, only to be sliced by Anakin's lightsaber. Two Senators avoided fire and ran out of the room into the rest of the penthouse. Boba saw this and chased after them. Before getting to the doorway, Typho pulled off two shots at him. Boba turned the corner in time to escape them. Anakin Force-threw a chair at the captain. It broke on contact, sending Typho flying back into the window. Anakin smiled, expecting the glass to break, but Jar Jar prevented it by grabbing Typho's arm. Anakin still smiled, but this time in amazement of Jar Jar's bravery. He walked towards Jar Jar, slicing a Senator, who was pretending to be dead on the ground. Jar Jar set Typho's limp body on the ground and grabbed his blaster. He hid it behind his back as Anakin sliced through another Senator. As Anakin was feet from the desk, Jar Jar brought the gun up to dark warrior. "I'm sorry, Ani," Jar Jar said, with a tear rolling down his cheek. "Anakin!" Boba shouted from a doorway. Anakin looked up at Jar Jar ready to fire, when he heard Boba yell, "Get down!" As Anakin did, Jar Jar fired at Boba, who dived from the blasts and rolled on the ground. When he regained his footing, he grabbed his belt and threw an object at Jar Jar. It hit him in the chest, sticking to his clothing. He tried to pull the small device off, while Anakin Force-grabbed the blaster from his hand. Boba walked over to Anakin, who held his lightsaber and the blaster. "What is that thing?" Anakin asked, while Jar Jar tried to pull of the device in a panic. "You'll see," reassured Boba. "It better not hurt him," Anakin ordered. "We need him alive." Fear went through Boba as he realized what he had done. Jar Jar screamed as his body jolted and shook. After shaking, his body turned stiff and his eyes closed. "What did you do?" a shocked Anakin asked, walking towards the frozen figure. "No, no, stay back," ordered Boba, pulling Anakin away from the figure. The frozen figure began to shake again, and as if he were being erased, tiny particles began falling to the ground. Jar Jar's body began falling apart into little pieces of dust. Beginning from his head down, the former- Senator of Naboo began disintegrating. A few minutes passed until all what remained was Jar Jar's clothing and a small pile of dust on it. Anakin walked over to the clothing and dust and tapped it with his foot. Nothing, he thought. Nothing left. Palpatine! Anakin looked at Boba and grabbed him, pulling him to the doorway. "Hey!" shouted Boba. "Get off! What are doing?" Anakin glared at him. "Do you know what you just did?" "Yeah, I saved your life!" answered Boba. "No, I could have handled myself. What you did is that you killed the very thing we were here for! You disobeyed the Emperor's orders!" Boba did not answer, and instead stared at the room of dead Senators, as the elevator doors closed shut.  
  
Palpatine did not say anything when Anakin broke the news to him. Instead, he stared at Boba, long and hard, making the boy uncomfortable. His plan had been broken to have Jar Jar be one of the lead Senators in his new government. No worry, Palpatine told himself. Senator Organa and Mothma have agreed to serve and that is good enough. Boba couldn't take the silence any longer. "Emperor Palpatine, I am so sorry this happened. Binks was about to shoot Anakin. I had no choice but to save him." "I could have saved myself!" Anakin blurted in. He did not like the fact that Boba was making him look like he was inexperienced. Also, Anakin noticed that whenever Palpatine was upset about something, he felt the same way. Palpatine raised his hand to keep Anakin's frustration down. "Boba Fett, I am sending you away from my sight, but here this, if you are ever called upon to serve me, you will do exactly as I say." "Yes, your Excellency," Boba answered with a bow. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a card, and set it on the Emperor's desk. "This should compensate you for the mistake I made." Palpatine nodded, dismissing the young boy. Boba bowed again and turned to Anakin. "Until we meet again, huh?" he asked, extending his hand. Anakin grabbed it and shook. "Yeah, I guess so," Anakin answered. Boba smiled and walk out of the office. Anakin watched as the doors closed, and looked back at the Emperor, who was standing at the window, looking out at the sky. The sun was minutes from rising and the Emperor knew this was going to be the last day for the Republic.  
  
CHAPTER XXXXVII  
  
The Jedi Starfighter pulled out of hyperspace farther from Coruscant than other ships. After the hyperspace ring detached, the ship took off to the all-city planet. Ships flew by, noticing the Jedi ship, and shaking their heads in disproval. Word was around the galaxy that Jedi were now the enemy of the Republic. They were considered to be dangerous, crazy or both. Obi-Wan knew that ships flying by could see who he was, and didn't care. The only thing he did care about was if Republic officials saw and arrested him. Just to be sure, he protected himself by flying next to larger ships, hoping that lookout towers wouldn't see him on their radar. He moved between buildings, staying away from political and news buildings, and stayed more to the run down and grubby ones. The Jedi Temple came into Obi-Wan's view and he was shocked at what he saw. Not a single ship flew near or in a mile radius of it. The starfighter flew towards the Temple, hoping that nobody would see him. He flew in at the lower section and landed on one of the many empty platforms. The cockpit window opened and Obi-Wan hopped out, his robe flowing with him as his feet made contact with the ground. A small pain went through Obi-Wan's body as he looked up at the Jedi Council tower in front of him. Something is up there, Obi-Wan thought. Something. He walked towards the main entrance with caution.  
  
The elevator's lights were dim and flickered from time to time, as it sped up to the top floor. Obi-Wan anticipated the moment as the doors opened to reveal the Jedi Council chamber door sliced and melted open. Pieces of metal and ash lied on the ground, as Obi-Wan approached the entrance. He stepped on them and gasped at what he saw. There, lying on the ground was Mace's body. "Mace!" Obi-Wan shouted, running to his Jedi friend's side. He picked up his head and held it close to his side. "Mace." The Jedi sat in the center of the room, holding the lifeless body of Mace Windu, as the sun began to shine into the room.  
  
The early-afternoon sun was shining brightly as the Senate became filled to roof with Senators, Delegates, Coruscant citizens, and news reporters. The last time it was this full was when Bail and Palpatine confronted each other many weeks ago. But this time, no arguments or slanders would be made. Palpatine had called this hearing to announce his new government that would change the galaxy in many different ways. Many different voices filled the chamber until Mas Amedda walked onto the center pod. He stuck his hand up in the air for everyone to stop talking. The voices did die down when he opened his mouth and announced, "Senators and Delegates, Coruscant citizens, and others, I present to you, his highest Excellency, Emperor Palpatine!" Mas grabbed the side of the pod as hundreds and hundreds of life forms erupted into applause and cheers. The Senators and Delegates were very professional as they stood and clapped, while the citizens hooted and cheered, jumping up and down. A white, bald head made its appearance in the center pod, and Sly walked over to her side area as the crowd anticipated the next arrival. A few moments passed and Palpatine walked calmly out into the center of the Senate. He smiled and nodded at the many different pods and figures aligned on the top floor. The cheering and applause continued and he did not stop any of it. Minutes passed, and the applause continued. Twelve minutes passed and it began to die down. As soon as it did Palpatine leaned over to Sly and whispered into her ear. "Find out who stopped clapping first," Palpatine ordered. Sly nodded at the request. "And have him killed." He turned back to the audience and moved his hand up and down, causing the rest of the applause to die down. Clearing his throat the Emperor began his speech. "Today is a new day, my friends. Today is a day where the galaxy will be changed forever. Today is the day that the Republic will fall and be replaced by the rise of a new government! The Empire!" The audience burst into their cheering and applause, but were soon silenced by Palpatine's hand. "What I have planned will change all of our lives in deep and profound ways. If you put your faith in me, my power will be used for the good of the galaxy. As for you Senators and Delegates, I have the pleasure to announce that Senator Bail Organa of Alderaan and Senator Mon Mothma of Chandrila have agreed to return to their positions in the Senate. I am sad though to report that Senator Jar Jar Binks of Naboo was in fact one of the Senators assassinated during a CPR meeting. We will miss those who dedicated themselves to the Senate. I do admit that there have been hard times between those Senators and I, but nothing can bring them back." A few claps were heard here and there from obvious haters of those Senators that were killed. "But what will be brought back will be order and justice. The galaxy will no longer have the Jedi to 'protect' it. The Jedi are no more, I am pleased to say. But I have the pleasure to announce my own, personal bodyguard was once a Jedi." Whispers could be heard around the Senate. Jedi? Personal bodyguard? "Please, please," Palpatine continued, holding his hand up. "This ex-Jedi is Anakin Skywalker, the very same person who foiled the plans of Count Dooku. And I know that-" "Palpatine! Palpatine!" a voice shouted from the top of the of Senate chamber. "Palpatine!" "ORDER!" Mas shouted over the voice. "This is highly irregular, sir!" Palpatine whispered into Mas's ear and turned back to the person shouting, who now had been given a microphone. "At this hearing, I was hoping to announce a new era," Palpatine confessed. "But I will listen to what you have to say, sir. And remember that the whole galaxy is watching." The figure made its appearance, revealing to be Grehr Hehey. The 345-year- old creature lifted the microphone up to its mouth with one of its six arms. He breathed heavily into the microphone as Palpatine realized who it was. "Ah, Mr. Hehey!" Palpatine exclaimed. "I haven't seen you for well over a year! Ladies and gentlemen, may I present Mr. Heyey. He has been to every Senate hearing for the past century and a half!" Applause erupted again. Everyone thought that any friend of Palpatine was a friend of theirs. "What I want to say is that Count Dooku was an ex-Jedi as well, and look what he did," Heyey said. The Senate went silent as everyone looked at Palpatine, wondering what his reaction would be. Palpatine stood, staring as Heyey continued, "I remember and have the notes in my pocket of when you, sir, were declared Emergency Powers. That role you have not given up, and you now want to the Republic to just go away to make way for 'the Empire'? Gain a high position, make the Jedi outcasts, and declare your own form of government? Is that how you run things? Back- stab and make friends at the same time?" A dead silence covered the room as Palpatine stared coldly at Heyey. Moments passed until he opened his mouth to say, "I would like to demonstrate how law enforcing works now. When something becomes a problem, you get rid of it." Palpatine waved his hand and four storm troopers stood behind Heyey. The old creature slowly turned around to see the four white- armored guards. One grabbed his old, ragged shirt collar and yanked him out of his place. The five figures disappeared through a door, and Palpatine returned to talking. "Speaking of new law enforcements, I am pleased to say that recruiting will never stop for the Empire's new army of storm troopers. Now, we will feel the justice of the Imperialists as they bring the peace and order that the Jedi never brought. The Imperialists will cover each inch of the galaxy if it is what it takes. Whether you are on the streets of Coruscant or in the middle of a desert, we will be there. We will never fail you, the people. There will be no more crime. There will be no more corruption. There will be only the Empire!" "EMPIRE! EMPIRE!" the crowd chanted at the tops of their lungs. Everyone went ballistic as Palpatine began waving to the crowd. Cameras flashed from all around the chamber, practically blinding Mas and Sly. But Palpatine stood still, with his eyes open. Never had he dreamed that the day would come. They are all mine, Palpatine thought, looking around him. All mine.  
  
CHAPTER XXXXVIII  
  
The sun had already set, but the sky was still covered in orange and red. Traffic was thin as most people were watching the Emperor giving his address or were actually present in the Senate chamber. The thinning of traffic didn't affect the Jedi Temple as no one had neared the place in days. The halls were the same color of the sky as faint light reflected off of glass. The Jedi Council chamber was lit with oranges and reds. Obi-Wan ignored them as he sat, meditating, with Mace's dead body lying in front of him. The Jedi had been sitting there the whole day, from when the sun rose and until it set. He opened his eyes and looked at the dead Jedi in front of him. The only thing that had been on his mind was what to do with Anakin. Anakin, Obi-Wan thought. What is it? What is causing this? Is it me? Padme? Where is the anger coming from? "I can't see it, Mace," Obi-Wan confessed. The life-less body did not answer and Obi-Wan continued. "I need to help Anakin and I can't without your help." He bowed his head on the Jedi's burnt chest as a tear rolled down his face. "Mace will always be with you," a voice said from behind Obi-Wan. He spun around quickly to see Qui-Gon Jinn standing with his arms folded. Obi-Wan immediately stood up and stared at the ghost of his old master. "Qui-Gon." The Jedi ghost walked over to Obi-Wan and smiled. "Hello, Obi-Wan." A dumfounded Obi-Wan asked, "How?" "Never underestimate the power of the Force, my friend," Qui-Gon answered, patting Obi-Wan's shoulder. "When I left you those twelve years ago, I found myself to be in the power of something I never knew existed. I never spoke to anyone about it. No one on the Jedi Council would have understood, not even Master Yoda. I can't explain what happened, but what I do know is that Anakin Skywalker is the reason." "Anakin?" Obi-Wan asked. "But how?" "I didn't understand at the time, but now I do," Qui-Gon continued. "When I came across Anakin on Tatooine, it was not a coincidence. Something brought us together. A power within the Force no one knew existed. A power given to young Skywalker at birth. Not given through his mother, but through the Force. You see, Anakin is the Chosen One, there is no doubt." "But how?" Obi-Wan asked. "He's turned to evil. I thought the Chosen One was to bring balance. He's helping the Emperor destroy the Jedi." "Clouded by the power of the Emperor," Qui-Gon continued. "Anakin can pass his power from being to being. The power allows the spirit to leave the body and be one with the Force. However, I have not made my physical form to anyone but you, Obi-Wan. If I showed myself to Anakin and told him of his power, he would think he is invincible. It was my mistake to go against the council. I should have obeyed them, and now I have cursed the galaxy." "Qui-Gon, I trained Anakin," Obi-Wan responded. "If anyone is at fault, its me. I followed your dying words. I could have not kept them, but I didn't." "You are loyal, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon complemented. "You have served the Jedi well during this dark time. I am proud that you have been able to see the darkness that was so hidden when I was your Master. But I do know that when your life ends, you will have the same power I do. Your connection with Anakin is strong. When someone makes such a large change in his life, they are given the power. I found him, you trained him, we both share a connection. However, your connection is much stronger. When I fell to the Sith warrior those years ago, I hadn't even begun Anakin's training. Even though I discovered the boy, I did not have as close a relationship that you have with him. As a result, my spirit took a long time to adapt to the living Force world. It stayed with my ashes for years, until it was freed to connect between the Force and living matter. You are more fortunate, Obi- Wan. Your strong connection will allow your spirit to leave the body immediately. But until your day comes, you must save the galaxy from the evil that is growing." Save the galaxy? Obi-Wan thought. "How?" "You must face and destroy Anakin," Qui-Gon answered. "What?" a shocked Obi-Wan asked. "He's my friend, my apprentice." "Apprentice? Friend?" Qui-Gon questioned. "Obi-Wan, someday you are going to have to realize what he's become before its too late. Before the Clone Wars, Anakin went against the council's orders and went to rescue his mother, Shmi, on Tatooine. She had been captured and tortured in a Tusken Raider camp. Anakin found her and held her as she died in his arms. I would know because I was there. I did not show my form, but my presence was there, feeling and guiding Anakin to not give into hate. I failed, and Anakin responded to the death by slaughtering the entire camp. Men, women, and children all fell to his lightsaber blade. I screamed for him to stop, but he would not listen. That moment made me realize what he truly was. He is being seduced by the Dark Side of the Force, that much is clear. His whole life, he has been angry. I don't know why I didn't see it when I first met him, but it's always been there." "But why must I destroy him?" Obi-Wan wondered. "Why not destroy the Emperor? He's the source of the evil. He's been corrupting the Senate and the whole galaxy for years. He's the one who must be destroyed." "He is too powerful, Obi-Wan," responded Qui-Gon. "Even for someone as gifted as yourself. If he were to be destroyed, then Anakin would grow stronger with hate and anger and his journey towards the Dark Side would be complete." The two sat there in silence for a few moments until Qui-Gon shook his head and began again. "I just can't believe I didn't see what the Emperor really was those years ago," Qui-Gon sighed. Words that Count Dooku gave Obi-Wan popped into his memory. He was careful about how to ask Qui-Gon of his former master-turned-Sith. "Qui- Gon, I knew." "Count Dooku told you, didn't he?" Qui-Gon asked with a small smile. Obi-Wan was surprised and answered, "Yes. He also told me that you would have helped him with the Separatist Movement." "This is unexpected and unfortunate," Qui-Gon responded. "Why is it unfortunate?" Obi-Wan asked. "Unfortunate that I know that you would side with a Sith?" "No," answered Qui-Gon. He slowly looked down to the floor, bringing guilt to Obi-Wan. "Unfortunate of his turn to the Dark Side. He was my Master, Obi-Wan, and I loved him very much. When he told you that he wished I were there to help him, that is because I spoke with him years ago." "You spoke with him?" Obi-Wan asked. "When? "After he left the Order, he lived on one of the moons of Bogden, and took on the name Tyranus. This was when his partnership with Darth Sidious was beginning and I could feel it. I confronted him in his dreams and he showed me his true side." "What side is that?" "He felt betrayed by the Jedi because of my death and was upset with the corruptness in the Republic. I cared for him very much and told him if I were there I would help him. However, he took my words from a certain point of view and believed that I would side with him, instead of turn him back to the Jedi Order. He fell down the wrong path, and I would have followed him into the darkest corners of the galaxy to stop him. His rebellion from the Republic was a trick, something to distract the galaxy from the true puppet-master." "The Emperor," Obi-Wan interrupted. Qui-Gon nodded and continued, "I never saw it, and neither did anyone on the Jedi Council. Now that he has made his move to take over the galaxy, everyone must be kicking themselves." "No," Obi-Wan said. "Just the opposite. No one except for the few Jedi know of his evilness. His supporters believe he has defended the galaxy and should reign for the rest of his life." "Even if they knew the truth, he would still be in power," Qui-Gon responded. "He's been pulling the strings for years. He was the one that caused the Trade Federation blockade of Naboo. He was the one who ordered the Republic's clone army-" "How?" Obi-Wan interrupted. "Master Sifo-Dyas was killed the same time Dooku left the Jedi Order. After he left, he began training to be Darth Sidious's apprentice. That same year, the two worked together and ordered the clone army under the name of Sifo-Dyas. Dooku hired the bouny hunter Jango Fett and broke into the Jedi Archives and removed Kamino." "He was one of the people behind the forming of the army?" Obi-Wan asked. "But why did he form droid armies all around the galaxy? He spent ten years forming a rebellion to take over the Republic while he was also helping the Republic?" "He didn't help anyone, Obi-Wan," informed Qui-Gon. "I am so sad to see that he followed the path of the Emperor. The Trade Federation, the Commerce Guild, the Banking Clan were all pawns in the plan for the Emperor to take over the galaxy. Dooku unfortunately believed that he would be the right hand man to the Emperor. How wrong he was. The Emperor betrays all that befriend him. But one person seems to be an exception. That person is Anakin, Obi-Wan. And you know why must be destroyed." "Why destroyed?" "Because of what's going to happen," Qui-Gon answered. He stared at Obi- Wan, who was obviously wanting to know what was going to happen. "If Anakin continues to follow the Emperor and his evil deeds, then he will become an agent of evil. A Sith." A chill ran through Obi-Wan's body upon hearing those words. A Sith. My own Apprentice. "Once Anakin starts down the path to the Dark Side, it will dominate his destiny. I've know what its like, Obi-Wan. My first apprentice fell down the Dark Path. Xanatos made me realize that Dark Side was easier and more seductive. I couldn't destroy him, Obi-Wan. I let him go and I haven't heard of him since. But let Anakin live, I guarantee that you will hear from him. Few Jedi know of the true nature of the Dark Side. Yoda is one of them, and I hope someday you two will be able to discuss it. But until that day, Anakin must be destroyed." "But his wife, Qui-Gon," Obi-Wan said. "And his child." Qui-Gon shook his head. "None of that matters, Obi-Wan. Anakin doesn't care about the life he had or could have had. He only cares about the power he wants. Putting the thought of Padme or his unborn son into his mind would only anger him further. His wife and child must never see Anakin, and Anakin must never see or know of them. If he knows about the child, then he and the Emperor will stop at nothing to find it. If they can't find it, they will go after Padme. She isn't a threat to them unless they know of her pregnancy. So, whatever you do, Obi-Wan, if Anakin or the Emperor finds out of the child, Padme cannot exist." "You want me to kill Pamde?!" a shocked Obi-Wan asked. "No, no," Qui-Gon reassured. "But from now on, Padme is "dead". If she's "dead", then she can't bear a child. Remember Obi-Wan, a Skywalker is on the way to be born and we cannot have it fall down Anakin's path." "I can't do it, Qui-Gon," argued Obi-Wan. "I can't kill Anakin." Qui-Gon sighed and stared at Obi-Wan. "You will have to face and destroy, Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan," Qui- Gon repeated. "It is your destiny." Obi-Wan turned from his master and fought the emotions running through his head. I can't do it. Never. Anakin cannot fall to my lightsaber. But if he lives, he will curse the galaxy. I must turn him to the Light Side. "Obi-Wan?" Qui-Gon tried to get the Jedi's attention. Obi-Wan didn't answer, but instead looked back at his old master, trying not giving into the voice that told him to destroy Anakin, but to the one that told him he could save him from the Dark Side. 


	4. The End of a Beginning

PROLOGUE  
  
The galaxy is beginning a new era. The new GALACTIC EMPIRE, formed by Emperor Palpatine, has begun taking over the former Republic and changing its old ways into the ways of the evil Sith Master. Feeling the evilness growing stronger in the galaxy, Jedi Master Yoda has come out of hiding and has decided to stay with Padme Skywalker and the unborn child on Alderaan, until Obi-Wan Kenobi returns from his meeting with his former master, Qui-Gon Jinn. Against his former master's warning, Obi-Wan cannot come to the fact that he must destroy Anakin Skywalker in order to prevent the dark warrior from becoming a full agent of the Dark Side and assisting the Emperor to cover the galaxy in darkness.  
  
CHAPTER IL  
  
The stars covered the night sky in a blanket of white and dark blue. A few twinkled, as the rest lay still, with Anakin Skywalker staring at them. His eyes darted from each one, trying to focus in with the Force to feel the presence in that solar system. But he couldn't. Instead, he took a long and hard stare at one and shut his eyes.  
  
It felt as if Anakin were flying straight to that star. His body became weightless, and he raised his arms at his sides, bringing in all the emotion he could feel. Star systems flew by him, as his mind flew to the star. Other stars were streams of white as he neared his mental destination. But as soon he could see a good size portion of it, a disturbance ran through his mind. Something about that planet, Anakin thought. His mind turned around in the middle of space and came to view Tatooine. The dark warrior's closed eyes shut tighter as he heard his mother's voice calling out to him. I love. was all Anakin could hear. His mind moved closer to the planet, closer to the city he grew up in, closer to his slave quarters, closer to him as a young boy with a Jedi sitting next to him. The stars were out in the night sky on the desert planet, just as they were in reality. I want to be the first one to see them all, the young Anakin commented, while the present Anakin mouthed the words as he saw them in his vision. Annie! a voice called. Shmi Skywalker walked by a door, demanding for the young boy to come inside for bed. At that instant, the vision jumped forward, sending Anakin's mind on a roller coaster ride to a decade later. He rubbed his hand on a woman's bare back Everything here is smooth, the young Jedi soothed to Padme Amidala. Her head turned to meet with Anakin's vision, but when it did, it was replaced with a skull. An old skull, with dark gray hair blowing with the wind. As Anakin looked at her body, it was replaced with a skeleton in the dress Padme was wearing. The skeleton fell on top of Anakin, with the Jedi panicking. The more he pushed it off, the heavier it became. He pushed and pushed, not only using his strength, but the Force around him. Heavier and heavier the skeleton became until it began sinking into Anakin's skin. Screaming in pain and fear, his vision ended.  
  
Anakin looked around him, to find nothing out of the ordinary. He stood on a balcony, outside the Emperor's office. The night sky was still lit with stars, and the traffic still flowed, just as it had when he entered the balcony. Sweat covered the hands that were gripping the railing so tightly during the vision. Before he could wipe a bead running down the side of his head, Anakin turned towards the door. "Anakin?" a rough voice called from the shadows. Anakin quickly wiped the bead running down his head and stared at the shadows. He bowed at the hidden figure, and answered, "Yes, your Excellency?" "I never want you to think about think about your past again," the voice responded. "Your old life is dead, gone. You need to wipe it from your memory." The figure came out of the shadows to reveal Emperor Palpatine. A black hood covered his head and approached Anakin. "I don't want them to poison your mind, my friend." "Of course," Anakin responded with a nod. The tall warrior turned back to the edge of the balcony as the Emperor stood right next to him. The two stared off into the distance, without a word exchanged for minutes. "Master," Anakin began, turning to Palpatine, "I have felt a disturbance in the Force." The shorter man nodded. "Strange I haven't. How sure are you?" "Very positive," confirmed Anakin. "I don't know what it is, but I feel that if it makes its presence known, it could destroy us." The brow lowered on Palpatine's face upon hearing the words. How could he feel a presence like that without my knowing? Palpatine thought. He must know something I don't. "Tell me, Anakin," began Palpatine, "Exactly what were you thinking of when I appeared?" "Your Excellency, I'm sorry," apologized Anakin. "I didn't mean to think of them. They are stuck in my mind. I'm still angry about the death and betrayal." Then it hit Palpatine. "What did you say?" Anakin quickly turned his head to the Emperor. "My mother's death. It still haunts my dreams. The Jedi caused her d-" "What were speaking of when you mentioned 'betrayal'?" asked Palpatine, slowly piecing together this unknown threat that Anakin mentioned. "The Jedi? Who?" Anakin didn't answer at first, but instead looked over the edge of the balcony. "It was about Padme." Palpatine's eyes opened wide. "She betrayed me. The Jedi betrayed me. Everyone has betrayed me. I have no one left except for you." Mother. Death. Jedi. Wife. Betrayal. Jedi. The words flew through Palpatine's mind at lightspeed. Mother. Death. Wife. Betrayal. They moved faster and faster, making connections here and there. Mother. Jedi. Wife. Jedi. Giving into the Dark Side, Palpatine made the final connection. Wife. Mother. Jedi. A chill went through Anakin as he looked at his master's face. The pale, white skin began to shake as anger boiled inside the Emperor. His eyes shot open, revealing dark yellow irises glaring back at Anakin. "You fool!" Palpatine used the Force and threw Anakin back ten feet into the edge of the balcony. Anakin's lower back hit the railing and sent him over. Palpatine breathed heavily, staring where Anakin went over. He took a deep breath and approached the edge of the balcony. Two hands grabbed the balcony railing, with the rest of the body hanging over. "Master!" Anakin shouted. "Help! Why did you do this?!" "Your feeble mind has shown its true side of stupidity," Palpatine insulted. "What?" Anakin shouted. "What did I do?" Palpatine growled and pointed at Anakin. He moved his arm up sending Anakin from holding the railing into mid-air, thousands of feet from the surface of Coruscant. The black-clothed warrior tried his best to remain calm by staring straight back at his master. "Where is Padme Skywalker?" Palpatine asked slowly. "I.I don't know," answered Anakin. "I confronted her, then had to escape." "Do you know who Padme is?" "Who?" "She is your wife." Anakin shook his head slightly. "I don't understand." Palpatine frowned and extended his arms, throwing lightning at Anakin. Anakin responded with screams of pain as he grabbed his sides. Bolts of blue lightning shot all over him, sending his body into convulsions. A minute passed and Palpatine stopped the current shooting from his hands. The screaming died down, and the interrogation continued. "Padme is your wife. Shmi was your mother. You were a Jedi. You were thinking of these things and realized there is something that is going to be released into the galaxy." Smoked rose from Anakin's body, as he hung lifelessly. Palpatine changed that as he moved the body from mid-air to the balcony. Anakin lied on the ground groaning in pain from the electricity slowly moving trough his body.  
  
"Do you know what that 'something' is?" Palpatine hissed at Anakin. Anakin coughed and turned over on his back, looking at his master. "What?" he gasped. "Your child," Palpatine answered. Anakin's eyes opened wide as he stood up. As soon as he did, he grabbed the railing and supported himself as his bottom lip began to shake. "My child?" Palpatine nodded. "He can be used against us, Anakin. If we do not find Padme, or this unborn child, we will have a threat entering the galaxy. We cannot have that." Anakin nodded. The Jedi will train my child their way, Anakin thought. NO! I will not let them train him. If my child lives, he will be like me. "He will be one of us, Master." Palpatine nodded. "You have learned much. Find if your wife lives. If she does, bring her before me. No exceptions. If the child is born, you will bring it before me." "Yes, Master." "We must accelerate this plan," Palpatine commented. He closed his mind and went into a trance. Where is she? "She was sick, when I last saw her. If she is alive, she's probably in a medical facility," Anakin observed. "Yes.," Palpatine said. "Good." Minutes passed until Palpatine opened his eyes to Anakin. "Alderaan." Anakin responded with a smirk and headed out the door. "Anakin." The dark warrior spun around, while the Emperor slowly approached him. "I have taught you anger. I have taught you to hate. I have taught you to fear. And now, you need no more lessons. You are the Chosen One."  
  
CHAPTER L  
  
The Jedi walked slowly down the dimly lit hall. All of the lights had completely gone out and darkness covered the Jedi Temple as it had for the past weeks. Ever since the battle of Nkllon and the termination of almost all of the Jedi, the Temple had never been the same. Young padawans weren't practicing with remote droids, teenagers weren't studying in the Jedi Archives, and masters of all species no longer walked the halls. Except for one. Except for the dozen Jedi that were scattered across the galaxy, never to show themselves again, Obi-Wan Kenobi was the last of the Jedi. He walked with both hands behind his back and his head lowered. Footsteps echoed loudly in the hall, and Obi-Wan did not notice this. His mind was set on one thing; one objective; one destiny: to kill Anakin Skywalker. My own apprentice? Obi-Wan thought. How could I? Ordered by my former master to train Anakin, and now ordered twelve years after his death, by Qui-Gon himself, to kill the boy. What is that? Being visited by his master's spirit confused and fascinated Obi-Wan at first, but once the conversation turned towards the destruction of Anakin, he couldn't believe what Qui-Gon was saying.  
  
The Jedi Starfighter took off into the night sky, passing next to large freighters as it made its way out of Coruscant's atmosphere. Obi-Wan looked at his viewscreen and flipped switches, trying to locate a nearby hyperspace ring. He couldn't. Flipping more switches, widening the radius of his search, Obi-Wan found what he was looking for. The hyperspace ring laid a quarter of the distance from Coruscant to Alderaan. Obi-Wan frowned, but decided it was worth it. He would be going in that direction anyways and it was better to have a trip without lightspeed for 25% of the time than not at all. The ship took off into the direction of the ring only to arrive on Alderaan later than expected.  
  
CHAPTER LI  
  
The black robe flowed behind him with a powerful and menacingly look. Black boots struck the metal platform hard as the figure approached his ship. When he did, two black gloves grabbed the ladder and began pulling the body up towards the cock-pit. The lid opened with a hiss and the figure leaped in. "Remember, Anakin," the cloaked Emperor began from the platform, "you will not fail. If she lives, you will bring her before me." Anakin nodded at his master from his seat with a stern expression on his face. While he still kept that strong face of determination, the ship's engines roared to life and lifted off the platform. Called the Dark Seeker, it was in fact completely black and very sleek, with the size of a Jedi Starfighter. The acceleration kicked in, and it was off into the sky, blending with the dark night sky. As the Emperor stood and watched the ship leave, he smiled to himself. My, my, he thought. Anakin, you are gifted. He remained on the landing platform, looking up at the countless stars, knowing the day would come when they would all belong to him.  
  
The Dark Seeker flew at high speeds through the thinning traffic, making its way out of Coruscant's atmosphere. When it had, it glided slowly in space for a few moments. As soon as the coordinates for the Alderaan system were complete, it burst into lightspeed, disappearing in milliseconds from its original location.  
  
The night sky on Alderaan was the same it usually was. Clear and wide open, without ships in the sky. It was in the middle of the morning and Padme sat in her hospital room, finishing a small dish of thecioria. The tan, pudding-like substance had been given to her each night for the many weeks she had been the hospital. She had hardly touched it in the past and just washed it down the sink, but tonight was different. Tonight was the night she had a feeling that she better do something to help her and the baby. Ever since Anakin's turn, she couldn't bring herself to what had happened. But now, things were different. She couldn't explain it, but something reached out to her in her dreams and told her that the baby she was carrying wasn't just any ordinary baby. Padme smiled at the thought of her child being a hero, and rubbed her stomach, trying to feel its spirit. As her hand moved down her stomach, a sharp pain struck her chest. Immediately, her hand reached grabbed where her heart was and began clawing at it. Her eyes shut tightly and her mind did everything it could to try to lower the pain. But it couldn't. The more Padme breathed, the more the pain increased. Increasing so high that she fell back onto the bed, gasping for air as heart felt as though it would explode. Arching her stomach into the air, she began to inch closer and closer to the panic button, using her feet to move her. But she didn't get far as her vision became blurry and clouded. The panic button she was looking at was on a small box, resting on the bedside table. But as the cloudiness increased, the object she focused on began to blend with its surroundings, diminishing all of its contrast. Padme began whimpering as the veins in her left arm began to burn. She grabbed the burning spots with her out-stretched right hand. And rubbed it, trying not to think of the amazing pressure on her heart. But at that moment, she felt a kick in her stomach. Not just an ordinary kick, but one that diminished the pain in her arm. The kicking stopped and Padme reached out again for the panic button. As her hand began to shake, so did the small panic button. It started moving slightly, but then more and more. Padme wasn't even noticing, with her eyes closed from the pain in her chest. But the more her hand shook, the closer the panic button moved. A few seconds later, and the panic button shot straight into Padme's hand. The second it landed, she held the button down. Sweat dripped down her forehead as she held the button down and her vision went to black. Her body lied on the bed, with the chest not rising. The moon shined into the room, hitting Padme's lifeless body.  
  
CHAPTER LII  
  
Hours passed since Obi-Wan's departure of Coruscant and he was finally nearing the hyperspace ring. In a few minutes he would attach himself to it and be to Alderaan in no time. But as he could see the hyperspace ring, resting in space, a stab hit him through the Force. His head went light and he shook it, trying to focus on lining the ship up with the ring. He couldn't explain the feeling he had just had, but fear and death was on his mind. And they both revolved around Padme.  
  
The Dark Seeker pulled out of lightspeed and stopped with Alderaan directly in front of it. It slowly glided to the blue-green planet as the pilot punched up a list of its medical facilities. A list of over 50,000 popped up. Black-gloved hands typed in a few numbers and the list narrowed down to 2,500. With more and more typing, the list was lowered and lowered, until it became the lowest it could be. One name remained: University of Aldera Hospital. Anakin smiled and looked towards the planet with dark and brooding eyes.  
  
The white buildings had a shade of gray to them, as the sun was to rise in the next half hour. The black ship slipped unnoticed through the buildings of Alderaan. Its built in cloaking device proved useful in a situation like this. Anakin couldn't believe a ship this small could cloak, and had no problem with it. The Dark Seeker approached and landed in an abandoned shipping hanger a mile from the hospital. The room was small and crowded with discarded crates and fallen scrap metal. It didn't fit the cleanliness and purity of the rest of the university, but was exactly what Anakin was looking for to hide his ship. The hatch opened and the dark warrior leapt out onto the hanger floor, landing in a crouched position, looking from side to side, checking to see if he had gone unnoticed since his arrival. Noticing that no one had entered or even approached the entrance to the hanger, Anakin stood up and slowly pulled his hood on top of his head. Checking his lightsaber at his side, he shot into a sprint for the entrance. He had timed scenarios like this before and didn't give a second thought to it as he jumped from the entrance of the hanger and fell fifty feet below. The wind smacked his face and his black robe fluttered in the wind. The flapping of the fabric stopped immediately as Anakin came in contact with a passing medic speeder. He held on with both hands and his robe continued fluttering as the speeder cruised along. The human driving it turned around to lock eyes with Anakin. About to scream at the dark eyes staring back at him, the medic relaxed his face and stared back. You will relax, Anakin soothed into the young man's mind. You will not panic. You will continue going to the hospital. "I will relax," the medic repeated, turning and staring straight ahead. "I will not panic. I will continue going to the hospital." Anakin nodded and watched as the hospital came into view. You're there, aren't you? Anakin thought. Resting comfortably? Believing you'll never see me again. We'll your wrong. I'm coming, Padme. The small medic ship pulled up to the base of the hospital and Anakin leapt off. He stared at the driver of the ship and waved. The driver flew off, not remembering a single thing off what happened. As the ship flew farther and farther away, Anakin stuck two fingers apart at the ship. After pointing them at the distant ship for a few seconds, he brought the two fingers together, as if they were an invisible pair of scissors.  
  
On the ship, the medic shook his head, trying to get rid of the massive headache he had. But as he kept shaking his head, he didn't notice the flashing button on his control panel, notifying him that the brake line had been cut.  
  
Anakin smiled as the ship grew farther and farther into the distance, soon disappearing behind a building. A few moments later, an explosion was heard and a tall ball of smoke and flame leaped into the sky. Following the first explosion came many more as shuttles crashed into each other, creating a large pile-up. Anakin's smile grew larger as the sirens began and medic ships could be heard taking off from all around the hospital. Waiting for his moment, Anakin crept into the hospital. He slipped by the head secretary, who was busy with calls about the crash that had just happened. The hallways lay bare and quiet as Anakin quickly jogged down them to get to the nearest elevator. He found one and quickly grabbed a chart from the wall. He scanned it with incredible speed and found what he was looking for: Skywalker, Padme.  
  
The elevator reached the floor and the doors opened, revealing Anakin standing in all of his evilness, holding his lightsaber handle. He began walking towards the room, his boots thudding on the ground. Closer and closer he moved to the room at the end of the hall. Closer and closer he moved to Padme. Closer and closer he moved to his child. If she lives, she will be powerless against me. No more running Padme. Anakin stood right outside the door and slowly rapped his hand on it.  
  
"Padme?" he asked softly. Then, he took a step back and kicked the door in, causing it to break into pieces. He leaped into the room and ignited his lightsaber, keeping it close to his side, but was amazed at what he saw.  
  
The Jedi Starfighter pulled out of hyperspace exactly where Anakin had. At the flip of a switch, the starfighter detached from the ring and flew towards Alderaan. This was Obi-Wan's moment to be able to reach Bail Organa. Since he wasn't traveling through hyperspace, Obi-Wan didn't risk the danger of turning on his receiver. On a few other Jedi Starfighters, three Jedi had died from using their receiver for messages while traveling at lightspeed. When the receiver was switched on, it passed through the same source for hyperspace. If that source box was being used and a receiver was switched on, a spark and hyperdrive fluid would not be the correct combination. Setting the coordinates for one of Bail's offices in the University of Aldera, Obi-Wan tried reaching him, but couldn't get through. He decided to wait until he got into the planet's atmosphere before trying again. Sirens covered the University of Aldera, from all different vehicles. Fire, police, and ambulances lined the sky, trying to save lives and put out the enormous fire engulfing the School of Art. Fire had claimed so much of the building that the workers could not enter. Fire droids were on the way, but would not arrive for minutes. Obi-Wan looked in horror at the burning building and all of the people in it. He quickly tried Bail's office again, but this time received a recording. "Obi-Wan-" Bail's voice began, breaking up in static from the frequencies that the rescue workers were using. "Yo.m.stust..ggg..tt.Mm.ssttt.rr.Yoda...ffff.ee..arrkkk.Side. Padme.sssiii...dy..ang. Hhh.urrrry." The message ended, and Obi-Wan couldn't piece it together. It was the only thing that stuck on his mind as he landed in front of the hospital on a landing pad and walked into the building.  
  
CHAPTER LIII  
  
The elevator reached the lowest floor of the hospital and the doors opened. The room was covered in darkness, until a hand pointed towards a wall and the light switched on. One set of lights slowly flickered on, followed by a second, a third, and fourth set. The white, bright light revealed rows of tables and cooling chambers for dead bodies. The metal tables were polished beyond belief. The lights from above reflected off of them, casting bits of light in all directions. The cooling chambers were a dull gray and covered all the walls of the room. The figure stepped out of the elevator and walked slowly down the aisle with tables on either side of it. The room grew cooler towards the back and as the figure reached that area, he grabbed a handle to one of the chambers and pulled it open. The drawer slid out with a body in a black tarp lying on it. Anakin moved to its side and rested each of his hands on the drawer. Looking the covered body up and down, he stopped when a piece of paper resting next to it confirmed who it was: Skywalker, Padme.  
  
Obi-Wan stared at the bare room as he stood in the doorway. Padme's clothes, belongings, everything, was all gone. The bed had been stripped and all of the medical supplies were gone. Nothing remained except for the necessities of a normal hospital room. Feeling as though something wasn't quite right, Obi-Wan walked into the room, studying it. Rubbing his fingers on the wall and door showed that no blasters or weapons were used. As he turned around and went to the bedside table, Obi-Wan almost fell to knees. There lying on the table was a doctor's report of Padme. Stamped across the report in red letters was the word DECEASED.  
  
The morgue still remained quiet as Anakin stood over his wife's body. The tarp still covered her, and Anakin was having emotional trouble removing it. For the first time in months, his true feelings towards his wife were showing. A tear rolled down his cheek as he took a step away from the body. "My whole life, I wanted to be the best there was and ever would be," Anakin confessed to the body. "As a slave I dreamed of escaping with my mother and traveling the galaxy together. I wanted to be with her forever. But I couldn't save her that day. You were there for me and knew what it was like for me. You lost your father, I lost my mother. We're split right down the center, Padme. I fought in the war to make up for my mother's death, but now I realize that it was you that I should have been with, rather than the battlefields. I tried to play God, Padme. I tried. But I can tell you right now that I am becoming what I've always wanted. I will soon have the power to have men tremble before me. I will soon be able to have the fate of a planet in my hand. I will soon be an agent of evil. An agent of the Dark Side. I am the Chosen One, Padme. The Emperor and I are the Sith. The remaining Jedi have gone into hiding, and will soon die out and I will see to that myself. What I didn't realize when I was a Jedi was all of the pain I was creating for others. Count Dooku saw it and I've replaced him. Mace Windu didn't see it and I've corrected him. Obi-Wan didn't see it." Anakin's voice and eyes trailed off as he realized that Obi- Wan was still alive. "Why didn't I see it before? He's the one! He's the one who's destroyed my life. He's the reason my mother is dead. He's the reason you are dead. He's the reason my life has been destroyed! Obi-Wan Kenobi! He's held me back while I was his apprentice, but he can't anymore. If I can't give you to the Emperor, than he will do." Anakin's mind began wandering again as millions of thoughts went through his mind. "Obi-Wan." "Anakin!" a voice shouted from the end of the room. Anakin jumped at the shout and quickly positioned himself in a defense position at the figure in front of the elevator. "Obi-Wan!" Anakin growled. Hate began boiling inside his heart. His lips curled and began to shake as his former master walked slowly towards him. Anakin reached for his lightsaber as Obi-Wan tried to make him relax. "Anakin," Obi-Wan began, "don't do this. I know what you're going through and I want to he-" "Don't say that!" Anakin screamed, moving from table to table, opposite Obi-Wan. "You don't know what I'm going through. You never knew and never will. You've destroyed my life! My mother and my wife are dead because of you!" "H-how can you say that?" Obi-Wan responded, moving with Anakin around the room. "I love you, Anakin. You're my best friend and I've done my b-" "I'm warning you," interrupted Anakin. "Don't say things like that again. You're not my friend. You're my enemy and I hate you!" "No, no," pleaded Obi-Wan. "You are my friend, Anakin." With a warrior cry, Anakin leapt across the table in front of him and landed on top of Obi-Wan. Studying martial arts himself, Obi-Wan quickly pushed him over himself with his foot and jumped up to face his apprentice. But as soon as he regained his balance, Anakin was there to punch him across the face. Obi-Wan fell back, sliding across a long table. Shaking his head from the pain he received, Obi-Wan gripped the table and lifted himself up to find the room empty.  
  
The hospital was now covered with doctors, medics, and emergency victims. The accident that Anakin had caused had led to over one hundred victims and they were now being brought to the hospital. Students and adults of all species laid on stretchers or were leaning against walls while doctors and medics were rushing to their needs. The main lobby was engulfed in chaos as Anakin began shoving people out of his way. Victims fell over each other, screaming in pain as the dark warrior pushed his way to the entrance. Between the screaming of doctors and medics for assistance and the victims from being knocked over, Anakin couldn't hear Obi-Wan shouting at the other end of the lobby. "Anakin!" Obi-Wan continued shouting, only to be drowned out. Pushing his way through the crowd of victims, he flinched at all the painful feelings he received through the Force. The pain of the others didn't seem to bother Anakin, but almost comforted him. Feeling the pain of others through the Force almost gave him confidence and endorphins to keep on moving. He couldn't explain why he ran from Obi-Wan, it just seemed like reporting to the Emperor would be more important. Than why I am running? He thought. I don't fear him. I don't think he's better than me. He's never been better than me. He's always thought he's been better than me! Anakin turned to look at Obi-Wan, and found that he was clearly at the other end of the room. The numerous amount of victims in pain caused the Jedi Master from tuning into Anakin's feelings or help him proceed through the large lobby. Anakin smiled as a burnt patient pushed himself on Obi-Wan, pleading for the Jedi to help. He'll get his later. Anakin reached the main entrance and walked calmly through the double doors, smiling up at the clouds that were covering the sky. Looking around at the parked ambulances and droids pushing in victims, Anakin continued the smile. He quickly jogged off the sidewalk and proceeded down the grassy hill towards the abandoned hanger he had arrived in. Reaching the bottom of the building he looked up to find juts sticking out of the old building. Not thinking twice about it, he jumped to the first jut, thirty feet up. The next one was a bit smaller and took fifteen feet to jump to. Anakin flipped off the second one and landed on the interior edge of the hanger. Walking deeper into the dark hanger, a small click of a switch on his wristband and Anakin watched as he ship came into vision. The cloaking device wore off and the Dark Seeker came into sight. The cock-pit opened and Anakin hopped in, laughing out loud at Obi- Wan and how he still must be trapped in the hospital. But that laugh died quickly as a low rumble of an engine was heard and a Jedi Starfighter lifted itself into view outside the hanger. Obi-Wan sat in the cockpit and stared straight ahead. With a stern, unbroken face, he shook his head at the dark warrior. Anakin growled and shut the cock-pit lid. His hands gripped the controls and the ship roared to life, flooring towards the Jedi Starfighter. The Dark Seeker sped through the hanger towards the entrance. Obi-Wan sat in the hovering starfighter patiently. Playing a game of chicken, Obi-Wan sped the ship towards Anakin. The two headed towards each other at amazing speeds. Without taking their eyes off of each other, they came two meters from each other until Anakin quickly pulled his ship to the right, barely missing Obi- Wan and making his escape out of the hanger. Obi-Wan quickly turned his ship and followed Anakin into the sky and soon into space.  
  
CHAPTER LIV  
  
Coruscant's sun had been up for the past few hours, yet the Emperor's office remained dark. A red hologram was presented in front of him. It was a large sphere and was slowly spinning on its axis. The hologram split in half and showed the internal structures of the sphere. The hologram was in fact the plans for the battle station Count Dooku had had designed by the Geonosisians. Oh, Anakin, you didn't realize I had the plans all along. Your mission to Nkllon to retrieve these plans was just a trap. No, not a trap. A step. A step closer to your destiny. A step closer to when you will become mine. "Your Excellency?" a voice called from over the speaker. Palpatine pressed a button and answered, "What is it?" "I need to speak to you for a moment," the voice answered. "Alright, Sly," Palpatine answered, shutting off the hologram and removing the disk from the drive. What could she want? He spun around in his chair to put the disk away in a drawer when he heard the doors to his office open. After closing the drawer, Palpatine spun around to find Sly pointing a blaster at him. "Your Excellency," Sly began. "I must admit have enjoyed working with you." Palpatine shot his hand out and snatched the blaster out of Sly's grip through the Force. The blaster was now being pointed at Sly. "You were saying?" Palpatine asked. "I.uh,wha-" Sly couldn't finish her sentence as Palpatine pulled the trigger, hitting her square in the chest. She flew back and fell over a chair, lying motionless on the floor. Palpatine tossed the gun at her body and shook his head, "You were so trustworthy in the beginning. But if you can't accept the fact that Anakin is my apprentice, you better quit." He then hit a key on his desk and up popped a screen showing Anakin's position outside of Alderaan. His ship was flying away, and Palpatine smiled at the sight. He would soon be receiving news on Padme's status. But before he could stand up, another ship on the sensor appeared. Palpatine's smile faded as he saw that it was a Jedi Starfighter following the Dark Seeker. Storming out of the room and leaving Sly's dead body, Palpatine headed for his personal ship, giving into the Dark Side of the Force in order to find where his apprentice was going.  
  
CHAPTER LV  
  
Space laid quiet outside Alderaan, until the Dark Seeker came roaring past, quickly followed by the Jedi Starfighter. Anakin glared at his sensors, watching as Obi-Wan moved from side to side, but while still staying on his tail. With a few flips of a switch, the Dark Seeker began preparing to make the jump into lightspeed.  
  
Obi-Wan watched as the Dark Seeker continued to move from side to side, while he grabbed for his comlink.  
  
"An..ki.n," a garbled voice came over Anakin's speaker. "An..akin. Where a.rr..e y..ou going?" Fumbling for his own speaker, Anakin thought about what to answer. "You'll see. Prepare for feeling the power of Emperor, Jedi. When I get to Coruscant, he'll be quite upset to find you're still alive." "D..don'ttt do this," the transmission responded. "Whatev.ver yy..ou've done, I forgive you." Anakin snorted into his comlink and tossed it aside as his ship finalized the coordinates for the jump.  
  
Obi-Wan gave up with his comlink and knew he had no other choice. To his side he pulled a small computer screen in front of his right eye. On the screen were the coordinates the Dark Seeker was in. Pressing a few buttons allowed the screen to show the internal structure of the ship and began to focus on the hyperdrive generator. Aiming carefully for the part, Obi-Wan fired.  
  
Anakin couldn't believe what had happened. The ship felt as though an asteroid had rammed it as Anakin picked himself back into his chair. Sensors and lights began to flash, warning that the hyperdrive was leaking.  
  
"Obi-Wan!" Anakin shouted, grabbing the controls and trying to steady the ship. Another hit from behind sent the ship into barrel rolls. Anakin knew what Obi-Wan was doing. He's not trying to kill me. He's trying to disable me! The ship continued spinning and Anakin lost total control of the ship as it went offline. "What?!" Anakin shouted, pushing the main controls in all directions. The Dark Seeker continued doing barrel rolls, moving towards a planet he had been to long ago.  
  
Nkllon was a dead volcano planet. The grounds hadn't erupted in centuries, and creatures lived hundreds of miles below the surface where it was still warm. Yet, even though the outer crust was mainly rock, small pits of lava existed, not even hot enough if you stood near them. However, the Jedi ambush at the battle of Nkllon proved that the planet was reborn. The lava that had laid quiet and unseen for hundreds of years now covered more than three quarters of the planet. Miles of black, hard rock now was an endless sea of lava. Small islands protruded here and there, but were amazingly hot if stood on. The only pieces of land that could be stood on were those that were many feet above the lava sea. The Dark Seeker flew at the slowest speed it could when Anakin attempted to override the system towards a tall and long stretch of rock. Anakin braced for impact as the ship crashed into a large group of boulders. The front of the ship exploded and the back portion split right off. Anakin slowly pulled himself out of the burning and wrecked ship, grabbing his left cheek. Touching it carefully, he felt as his skin had been sliced in three horizontal rows. It did not bleed very badly and Anakin tried to ignore it as he pulled himself and landed on both feet on the hard, rocky surface. Before he could examine his body anymore, he quickly looked up into the sky at the Jedi Starfighter approaching. While it landed thirty feet away, Anakin grabbed his lightsaber off of his belt and walked away from his wreck and farther down the long stretch of rock. Looking off the side, lava rested in a massive sea over one hundred feet below. "Anakin!" a familiar voice shouted from behind the warrior. Anakin turned to see his former master walking towards him in his tunic and brown robe. The expression on his master's face was that of failure and pain to see what Anakin had become. "Obi-Wan," Anakin answered, nodding his head to the Jedi. "Why?" was all he asked. This came as an insult to Anakin. "Why? Why?! Why was I betrayed? Why was my mother killed? Why was my wife stolen from me? Why was she then left to die in a hospital? Why? You have destroyed me, Obi-Wan, but I am reborn. No longer do you have the apprentice to push around and abuse. Now you have a master. A master that will teach you the ultimate nature of the Force." "Are you the master, Anakin?" Obi-Wan asked. "You're whole life as a Jedi, I have trained you to accept the Light Side of the Force, and you have obviously gone against it. I can now only hope that you will never become a member of the Dark Side. Only then will you truly suffer." "I've suffered enough Obi-Wan! My held my mother as she died in my arms. My wife lies dead in a body bag in a hospital morgue. And here you are saying I haven't suffered?!" "Anakin, we've all suffered. Padme's death is hard on all of us. But her death or the child's can't lead you to-" "DON'T TALK ABOUT MY CHILD! IF IT WEREN'T FOR YOU, IT WOULD STILL BE ALIVE! YOU TOOK PADME FROM ME AND MY CHILD!"  
  
The Alderiniaan Cruiser pulled out of lightspeed, and glided towards Naboo. Onboard, Bail sat at the controls, looking back at the body on a pull-out bed. Yoda stood next to it and held his three-fingered hand on its forehead, administering powers of the Force. Dorme sat on the other side, hooking in a new IV. While C-3PO and R2-D2 sat in the back of the room, Dorme looked down into the half open eyes of Padme.  
  
CHAPTER LVI  
  
The two warriors stared straight at each other. Obi-Wan had not yet grabbed his lightsaber from his belt, but knew that he might have to soon. "What I want, Obi-Wan," Anakin began, "is that you experience all of the pain and suffering I have gone through." "You're talking revenge, Anakin." "More. I'm not just talking revenge. I want you to suffer the heartbreak of losing loved ones. I want you to know what its like to be betrayed by someone you trusted and then be disarmed by a Sith." "But isn't that what you're becoming? The very same kind of person that you have spent the last two years trying to find?" "Dooku's dead. He was nothing compared to my power. You couldn't handle yourself against him on Geonosis, and now you face the one who destroyed him." "No, I won't fight you." "Why is that?" "I don't think you've completely turned to evil, Anakin. The Emperor hasn't finished with you. I can see it. I saw on Alderaan when you looked at the body in the morgue. You haven't been driven from the real Anakin." "This is the real Anakin." "No, it's not. I've seen the real Anakin. Qui-Gon told me to destroy you, but I can't. I won't." "Is that your destiny?" Obi-Wan nodded, folding his arms into his robe. "Very well." Anakin grabbed his lightsaber and ignited it. A meter length blue blade shot up from the handle, illuminating Anakin's face while red lava exploded in the distance. Even though the two were on an island far above the lava, three volcanoes surrounded the south side of them. Lava had not erupted from them, but smoke had begun to slowly creep from openings. Anakin twirled his lightsaber with incredible skill and held it over his head while he stuck his left hand out at Obi-Wan, motioning for the Jedi to approach. Obi-Wan stood his ground, not moving a muscle. Trying a few more moves by himself, Anakin gave up offering Obi-Wan the offense. Jumping out at Obi-Wan with a move that the Emperor had taught him, Anakin spun his blue blade at the Jedi. Inches from getting his face sliced off, Obi-Wan ignited his blue lightsaber blade and blocked his opponent's attack. "That's it, Obi-Wan," Anakin taunted. "You can't escape this. This will come to an end and when it does, there will be only one, true master." "It doesn't have to be this way, Anakin," Obi-Wan advised, while keeping Anakin back by pushing on his lightsaber. "You can come with me. We can destroy the Emperor together." "You just don't get it, do you?" Anakin gave up pushing on Obi-Wan and spun away, only to come roaring back in a spiraling display of a blue circular blade. Obi-Wan was familiar with this attack and flipped over his opponent and swung at him. Anakin blocked the blow while his back was turned and quickly crouched to ground, slicing at Obi-Wan's legs. The Jedi rolled to his right side, only to have his robe get caught on a rock jutting out of the surface. Trying to rip it free, he saw Anakin bring the saber down on his face. With a loud tear, Obi-Wan rolled away while Anakin brought his blue blade on part of the robe and the rock it was caught on.\ "Not a bad idea," Anakin commented, quickly taking off his black robe, only to reveal his all black outfit underneath. "This is mere child's play. We have yet begun to fight." Throwing his robe off to the side, Obi- Wan managed to pull off the other half of his robe that remained on the left side of his body. "What did you see in me, Obi-Wan? When you first met me? Was it curiosity? Fear? Jealousy?" "Why jealousy, Anakin?" Obi-Wan asked, slowly preparing himself in a defense stance. "You tell me. I was the one your master praised. You were the one he was abandoning and I was the one he was going to take on as an apprentice. He was going to leave you, Obi-Wan, to reach.higher ambitions he had. Namely me becoming a Jedi." "And look at you now." "Yes! Do look at me now!" Anakin opened his arms as if he were presenting himself to a group of judges. "I have now become what the Jedi feared most. And only when they have been wiped from the galaxy, the balance will be complete. Qui-Gon said it himself." Obi-Wan had had enough of this talk. "Don't ever speak of Qui-Gon." "Oooo.I've hit a nerve." Anakin laughed out a hearty laugh which quickly turned into scream as he attacked Obi-Wan. Blue blade met with blue blade in an explosion of light. The two warriors exploded in a fury of strikes and stabs that increased in speed, proving who was faster delivering and blocking. Sweat slowly began to drip off both of their foreheads, and neither noticed the increase of heat. While the test of who was faster continued, lava slowly began to rise out of the mouth of one of the volcanoes. At first, it came to the top and rested there. Then, it took off down the steep hill towards the duel. Large boulders blocked some of the red lava, but the rest continued moving. Not taking his eyes off of Obi- Wan, Anakin felt the heat increase and the approaching red river. Ducking from a swing, he pushed himself from his crouched position and shot into the air. Traveling forty feet in the air, Anakin landed on a large boulder while lava flowed on either side of him. "Come on!" he beckoned to Obi-Wan, who was watching the approaching lava and his ship. Twirling his lightsaber in a few circles, he plunged it into the rock he stood on and ran with it to either end of the island. The area he stood on was only twenty feet wide and was much larger on either end. But what happened work perfectly for the Jedi. The lava reached where he was standing and fell into the grove, splitting itself either way and then falling off the side of the island. Smiling at his own work, Obi-Wan turned back to Anakin, who was now leaping over small paths of lava to a drier area. Obi-Wan followed and leaped farther than Anakin did, arriving a few rocks behind him. "Don't give up now, Obi-Wan!" Anakin shouted to the person behind him while he jumped over the last small patch of lava. Turning around he continued, "You only have a lit-" But before he could finish, Obi-Wan delivered a flying kick straight to his face. Anakin screamed as he rolled to the ground, grabbing his left cheek. The wound he had received from his crash hadn't healed and was still sore, but had slightly closed up. The kick Obi-Wan delivered broke it open and blood began to run down Anakin's cheek. Pushing himself up from the ground, Anakin ignited his weapon and lost his cocky attitude as he began attacking Obi-Wan. With so much pain and anger in him, he actually began pushing Obi-Wan farther and farther back. Sweat was now pouring down each of their faces, and Anakin winced as the salt in his sweat met with his cheek wound. What Anakin couldn't believe was how Obi-Wan had quickly changed from being non-aggressive to the complete opposite. "I'm just defending myself, not fighting you," Obi-Wan said, blocking a blow and stepping away from the lava behind him. Anakin had to smile, despite the wound on his face. "Reading my thoughts?" "You're mind is an open book to me, Anakin." Ob-Wan smiled. "It always has." "Then read this." Anakin turned his back and threw his lightsaber straight at Obi-Wan. It headed towards the Jedi in a boomerang fashion, to which he simply dodged. Standing straight up, he began walking towards Anakin, not considering the spinning lightsaber that was returning its trip back to its master's waiting hand. Before he could react, Obi-Wan felt the lightsaber slash through his tunic above his waist on the left side. Grabbing his side in pain, Obi-Wan fell to his knees, trying to use the Force to ease the pain of his flesh being burned away. Catching the lightsaber in his black-gloved hand, Anakin began walking towards Obi-Wan. "You don't know the power I posses. You might have taught me the way of the Jedi, but I will teach you the way of the Sith. Unfortunately for you, this is the lesson. Obi-Wan, some day you are going to have to realize that evil triumphs over good." Glaring up at Anakin, Obi-Wan responded, "I swear on my master's soul, that that will never happen as long as I'm alive." Regaining his strength, he sliced at Anakin's legs and sent the dark warrior jumping into the air. While he was in the air, Obi-Wan pushed him back into a huge boulder with the Force. A crack was heard when Anakin met the rock and tried his best to stand up. Both of the warriors were exhausted and slowly stood up to face each other. "The end of the battle is near, Obi-Wan," Anakin wheezed. Too much ash had gotten into his lungs and his voice was a bit rougher than usual. "I want to see how much more you have in you." "More than you think, my friend," Obi-Wan answered, hitting his chest, trying to clear his throat. Anakin walked towards Obi-Wan at a much slower speed than before, and got two three feet from him before commenting, "You are unwise to lower your defenses!" The quick swing of his lightsaber to Obi-Wan's head woke the Jedi up. The pain in his lungs and his side left his mind as did Anakin's in his lungs and cheek. "Like I said, Obi-Wan, the end is near." "For me?" Anakin slowly nodded and turned from Obi-Wan, sprinting up the middle volcano that had not erupted. The one to its right already had and was finished pumping lava out of it. Obi-Wan took off after the lead runner. The ground that the two were running on was crumbling and very unstable. Every few feet, the ground would give way, causing one of them to fall to his knee, only to catch himself and continue running. Obi-Wan had no idea why Anakin would run up the entire volcano, but knew that the duel had to end soon. Breathing anymore of the ash or smoke would completely damage his lungs and would probably die on the spot. But if the time comes when I can't breathe anymore, what about Anakin? I can't leave him here. I've got to save him. But what I've said to him, they're only words. Obi-Wan reached the rim of the volcano and watched as Anakin cracked his neck, preparing himself for the final duel. But before Obi-Wan could ready himself, Anakin began, bursting into energy he didn't have before. His fighting was cleaner and smoother, as Obi-Wan had to give into his typical Form III defense. Blue light burst from each hit the two met with. The footwork of the two took off and they soon were both moving all around the edge of the volcano. Never had Obi-Wan been a duel as serious as this. When he dueled with the Sith warrior, Darth Maul, his rank met with that of his opponent. Other than the deadly bounty hunter, Jango Fett, he fought and the thousands of droids he had sliced through, the duel he was engaged in was the most intense. Not only was it intense physically, but mentally. His own apprentice had turned to the Dark Side and was now trying to kill his former master. Anakin, however, dealt with this duel as if it were the key moment in his life. And it was. The very man who was responsible for all of the unfortunates in his life was engaged with him in a fight to the death. But what Anakin didn't notice was the rising lava in the volcano as he took a step to far to the left. The ground below him gave way and he caught himself before plummeting. Gone before he could realize, Obi-Wan choked on his own breath as his apprentice held on to the edge of the volcano. Deactivating his lightsaber and attaching it to his belt, Obi-Wan had tears form in his eyes as he got on his knees to reach out for Anakin. "ANAKIN!" Obi-Wan screamed. "Give me your hand!" Anakin didn't respond. Instead, he looked below him at the approaching lava. It rose higher and higher, meters from his feet. "Please! The lava is rising!" Anakin responded this time with a shake of his head. It was then that he realized what he had to become. Moments flashed before his eyes. His mother holding him in front of the setting twin suns, growing up with his fellow slave friends, crashing in his first pod race, finding C-3PO, celebrating one of his mother's birthdays, meeting Qui-Gon Jinn and Padme, winning the Boonta Eve Podrace, saying goodbye to his mother, traveling to Coruscant, appearing in front of the Jedi Council, traveling to Naboo, destroying a Trade Federation Starship, watching Qui-Gon's body burn in front of him, celebrating a peace parade on Naboo, saying goodbye to Padme, training to become a Jedi, going on his first mission with Obi-Wan, killing for the first time, settling a border dispute on Ansion, reuniting with Padme, chasing Zam Wessel through a nightclub, falling in love with Padme, returning to Tatooine, meeting the Lars', holding his mother die in his arms, fighting on Geonosis, losing his arm to Count Dooku, proposing to Padme, then marrying her, fighting in many battles, promising Padme he would stop fighting, receiving a metal from Palpatine, fighting with the Jedi on Dooku's ship, chasing down the villain, secretly visiting Padme at night, leading an army of clone troopers and storm troopers on Nkllon, being rescued by Obi-Wan, killing Dooku, taking the Emperor's hand, killing Mace Windu, assassinating senators with Boba Fett, being electrocuted by Palpatine, fleeing to Alderaan, finding his wife's body, crashing on Nkllon, fighting with Obi-Wan, and where he was now. All of it didn't matter anymore as Anakin shook the memories of his former self. The lava had now reached a few feet from his boots and the soles began to soften and melt as Anakin gripped the edge tighter. "Anakin! You have to grab my hand! There's no time!" "It's too late for me, Obi-Wan," Anakin answered in a low voice. "Go." "No," Obi-Wan answered. But just then, something hit him through the Force. He couldn't explain it, but it was the presence of someone. What is that? That feeling seems familiar. He dug deeper into his mind. Padme! "Anakin! I saw her! I saw Padme! She's still alive. So is your child! It's a boy! I can see him. You can still be with them!" "I'd make them join if I could," Anakin responded. The lava now had reached his boots and was melting them completely. "I despise you, Obi-Wan. You've destroyed my life, and I will never forget it. Now, leave me." Tears rolled down Obi-Wan's cheeks as he stared into the eyes of his apprentice. "What about your child?" With his lip trembling, Anakin responded, "Don't tell him what I did." After saying his last words to Obi-Wan, Anakin let go of the rock and began to fall. Despite the fact that the lava was only seven feet below, everything seemed to happen in slow motion. Anakin stretched out both of his arms with his eyes closed, awaiting to meet the lava. As he stretched out his body, he took one last look at Obi-Wan before disappearing in the red pit. Feeling as though he were in a dream, Obi-Wan stared in disbelief at what had just happened. The tears stopped rolling down his face and he fell on his back looking at the dark sky. "Qui-Gon.," Obi-Wan said to the sky. "Why?" Before he could get any more of his anger and pain out, a low rumble shook the entire volcano. Realizing that the lava was nearing explosion, Obi-Wan jumped to his feet and sprinted down to his ship. Before he ran ten feet, an explosion shot into the air, sending lava in all directions. Tuning into the Force, Obi-Wan stopped dead in his tracks as lava flew over his head, barely missing him. The Jedi Master spun around to see how far the lava had gotten and then spied something lying near the edge of the volcano. Anakin's lightsaber rested and in moments would be engulfed by lava. Reaching his hand out, Obi-Wan brought the lightsaber flying into his hand. After quickly attaching it to his belt, Obi-Wan began sprinting, dodging the falling lava. After running fifty feet, the Jedi began jumping from rock to rock, avoiding the river. When he reached the end of the rocks, he gathered up all the power he could and leaped across the lava and landed next to his ship. The Jedi Starfighter roared to life and took off into the dark sky. Obi-Wan wiped the sweat from his face and took one last look at the sight. The second volcano had finished erupting and the third was now beginning, covering all of the island in lava and pouring off the side. Ignoring his emotions, Obi-Wan set the coordinates to Alderaan, hoping to get some answers to his questions.  
  
After the lava had stopped flowing out of the third volcano, the area was dead silent. Between the low bubbling and explosions off in the distance, no one could have heard the silent approach of a three-winged black ship. It hovered above the middle volcano, meters from the still hot lava. The hatch opened and revealed the Emperor. Staring into the pool of lava, he began muttering to himself. Before he could say anymore, a low rumble was heard deep below the surface. It grew and grew until a metallic arm shot of it, and grabbed the edge. Bits of burnt flesh remained on it, and gripped the rock with incredible strength. The Emperor watched as a mangled and deformed body pulled itself out of the lava. He could nothing but smile at the strength and determination of his new apprentice as he lied on the edge of the volcano.  
  
CHAPTER LVII  
  
Before the Jedi Starfighter neared anywhere near Alderaan, a voice over the comlink was heard. Obi-Wan grabbed it and tried understanding what was being said on the other end. "Obi-Wan here," the Jedi spoke into the comlink. "Please respond." The static continued and got louder and louder. Obi-Wan just stared at it and threw at the dashboard in anger. He bit his lower lip and stared straight ahead, trying to rid the image of Anakin taking one last look at him before he fell into the pit. Obi-Wan! a voice cried out. Obi-Wan! The Jedi began tapping his headset. What was that voice? He thought. Qui-Gon! Obi-Wan! the voice continued. You will go to the Dagobah system. There the last hope for the galaxy stays. "Qui-Gon," Obi-Wan cried out. "Don't leave!" But after minutes passed without hearing a voice, Obi-Wan set coordinates for the Dagobah system. He had never heard of it before, and wondered what Qui-Gon meant by "the last hope".  
  
The night sky had fallen on Coruscant and the planet was alive as usual. Clubs rocked with patrons and traffic flooded the sky. But below the surface, miles below, an evil was being aided. Palpatine in the shadows of a dark medical room. It laid five miles below the surface, and was secured higher than anything on Coruscant. Droid arms protruded from a main machine, and were laying a heap on an operating table. The heap was a person, burned beyond belief. Its skin was a pasty white, while all of the hair on its head was gone. A deep cut ran down the top of its head and another wound on its left cheek. Its right leg was cut off right above the knee, and the left was missing from a few inches from its hip. The right arm remained, yet lied detached on the table. It was a metal, protocol droid-like arm, with bits of flesh burned onto it. The left arm was completely gone, with the socket going inward into the body. While the body was laid on the table, Palpatine turned to a viewscreen, looking at what needed to be done to it and how long it would take. Calculations predicted that the operation and body modifications would take a few days. After then, resting would take a little over a week. Total, the entire process would take almost two weeks. Palptaine smiled at the design for his apprentice's armor. Never had he seen anything of such power and display. "Emperor Palpatine?" a monotone voice from a droid asked. Palpatine walked towards the droid who was bent over the other side of the table. "Yes? What is it?" "We can't begin surgery." His brow moved low on his face. "Why not?" "The nerve system is experiencing faulty problems. R.E.M. is preventing us from making an accurate incision into the medulla oblongata. Electrodes are moving to rapidly in the lower back portion of the brain and if the victim doesn't calm down then we must wait until he does." "Leave us." Palpatine ordered. "Sir?" the droid asked. The Emperor didn't need to repeat himself as he glared up at the droid. The droid responded by nodding and motioning for the other two droids to leave with him. A few seconds later, the door closed and Palpatine was left alone with the body in front of him. His pasty, old hands rested on the body's face. Feeding all of his energy into the body, Palpatine saw what was happening. Brief images of Jedi, Shmi, and Padme flew into Palpatine's mind. He flinched at these and knew what he had to do. Gathering even more energy in his body he pushed new images into the body's mind.  
  
Images of Jedi chasing and catching Shmi, only to slaughter her with their blades. Her body fell on the ground, and Padme came into view. She wore a white dress and rested her hand on her large stomach. The Jedi saw her and halted. The large group broke apart and out of the center strolled out Obi- Wan. He walked right up to her and kissed her on the lips. After pulling away from the kiss, he quickly ignited his lightsaber and brought it across Padme.  
  
A rough, strained scream filled the medic room, as the mangled body arched its back up. Palpatine took a step back in pleasure knowing that by implanting false images in Anakin's mind would produce pure hatred to his enemies. Traumatizing him like this was just what he needed in order to fulfill Palaptine's needs. While the screaming died down, the body fell back to the table, unconscious. Palpatine walked to the door and opened it. The three droids stood there, pretending they didn't hear the screams from within. "The patient is ready," Palpatine announced. "Begin at once, and I trust you three that you will not fail me."  
  
CHAPTER LVIII  
  
When he heard Qui-Gon's voice, he thought he was imagining it, but now he was believing it even more. He entered the Dagobah system a few hours after his encounter with Anakin and understood why he had never heard of it before. Not a single ship flew on Obi-Wan's radar and few traces of life forms were reported on his control panel. Those life forms that were reported all were grouped in the same area, so Obi-Wan figured that there must be some civilization on the planet. Entering the atmosphere, Obi-Wan became lost in a maze of clouds. They were thick and heavy, preparing to burst with rain any moment. But as he guided himself out of the clouds, he was soon caught in fog. It was nearly as thick as the clouds and Obi-Wan had even a worse time trying to see through them. But before he could realize, a tree branch smacked the front of his ship, shooting it downward towards an muddy opening. The ship crashed in the mud, and the engine slowly died down. Cursing what happened, Obi-Wan opened the hatch and jumped onto the front of the ship. Nothing but gray fog covered the land. His surroundings consisted of vines and dead, trees, resting on swamps. "It's just one big swamp!" Obi-Wan exclaimed with both hands on his hips. "Not just a swamp," a voice said. "My home it is." Obi-Wan looked to his right, and there standing on a tree stump was Yoda.  
  
The cave was large enough for everyone to sit in a circle. In the center of the group, a fire was blazing. Padme sat on a small bed that was brought from Alderaan. Her face was pale white, and she did nothing but stare at the fire dancing. Dorme sat next to her and was leaning towards the fire, stirring a thick stew in a pot. C-3PO and R2 were outside gathering sticks for fire, while Bail sat on the other side of Padme. Obi- Wan and Yoda sat next to each other, opposite of Padme. "Where's Anakin?" Padme asked, not taking her eyes off of the fire. Obi-Wan sat leaning forward with his elbows resting on his knees and his hands folded into each other. "Um." Obi-Wan couldn't even get the first sentence out as he got sucked into the vision of the dancing fire. As the flames licked the air, Anakin's face jumped out at Obi-Wan, startling him. Time passed without an answer until Bail asked, "Obi-Wan?" "Hmm?" the Jedi asked still staring at the fire. "He's um." A few seconds passed. "He's dead, Padme." His trance with the fire broke and he looked up at Padme. She stared back at him and nodded slowly. Bail stood up and walked around to Obi-Wan. "I need to talk to you," he whispered into the Jedi's ear. Obi-Wan nodded and looked at Yoda, who got up first and followed Bail.  
  
Screeches and creatures could be heard far off into the distance as the three walked along the edge of a swamp. Obi-Wan did not have his robe anymore and walked with only his tunic. Yoda had seen the burn on the side of him when he arrived and knew it needed to be treated. Obi-Wan just pushed it aside. "What happened on Alderaan, Obi-Wan," Bail began, "must remain secret. If anyone got word that Padme is still alive, the Emperor will stop at nothing to find her. Even though you say Anakin is dead, the Emperor is still in power." "Agreed, Bail," Obi-Wan said. "What did you do to have Padme escape?" "While you were on Coruscant, her heart stopped. We managed to save her in time, but the doctors had nothing to help her. We didn't know what to do, so we brought her here." "Why here?" Obi-Wan asked. "My home this is, Obi-Wan," Yoda answered. "Returned I have not for over 800 years. Not much change, but one thing remains: power it is with the Force. Medicines and aides you will find here to prove much help. The very cave Padme rests in will be the birthplace of a Skywalker. Much power the cave will have alone from the birth."  
  
"Is she better? The medicines here, are they that effective?" "Yes," Yoda answered. "Time ago, into hiding I went. Studied I did the true nature of this planet. Possesses Force power, this planet does." "But what of the Jedi Archives? Couldn't the Emperor search planets on the list?" "Erased it I did. Following in the same way Dooku did, I'm afraid. Poor Dooku." "What are we going to do after Padme gives birth?" "We shall go out separate ways, Obi-Wan," Bail answered. "It's the only answer." The three continued walking, discussing what they had experienced while being apart from each other.  
  
CHAPTER LIX  
  
Over a week passed and the days grew longer and longer. Padme's blood pressure fell from time to time and was nursed back to health by a strange food Yoda called rootleaf. The entire group had to eat it and from the low amount of food in the Alderaanian Cruiser. Bail joked from time to time about the rootleaf with Yoda, who didn't find it funny to make fun of his favorite food. But as the tenth day approached of being on Dagobah, Padme began have contractions. It came in the middle of the night, and the group was right there by her side. Dorme had a bowl of water by Padme's side and blotted her head with a soaked towel. Yoda taught Bail how to mix herbs and medicines, and from time to time, rested his hands on Padme's head and heart, using the Force to calm her pain. Obi-Wan, however, stood at the end of the cave replaying Anakin's death in his mind. When the experience on the tenth night was just a false alarm, Obi- Wan realized that this was his only time to make his final journey to Coruscant. Yoda agreed with him that he should go, and hurry back as soon as possible. Padme was asleep at the time and Obi-Wan knew she wouldn't want him to leave, but he did anyway. The Jedi Starfighter roared to life and Yoda and Bail stood next to it, as they watched it take off into the night sky.  
  
On Coruscant, the droids reported to Palpatine that they were finished with the operation. This pleased the Emperor and he hurried down to the medic room to see the finished product. When he entered the room, all of the droids had moved to the corner of room in fear. They covered their visual sensors and continued shaking. The Emperor, however, didn't tremble in fear when he saw the dark figure standing with his back to him. He was under seven feet tall, and was practicing his Force ability with heavy pieces of machinery. Pieces that would be impossible for a wookie to lift, were lifted two or three at a time with the slightest movement of the black-armored man's index finger. "Show yourself," the Emperor ordered to the figure. The pieces that were floating came crashing onto the ground, but the figure did not turn. Instead it began breathing, with was an artificial, mechanical breathing. "I am your master, and I order you to show yourself." The droids covered their vision sensors again as they watched the figure move towards the Emperor, and bowed.  
  
CHAPTER LX  
  
Obi-Wan walked through the Jedi Temple with caution. Now that Anakin was dead, he was sure that the Emperor would be quite trigger happy with Jedi or even anyone being inside the Jedi Temple.  
  
With two cases filled with diaries, clothes, and pictures, Obi-Wan made his way out the front doors. He had put on a new robe and strode down a small flight of stairs. Within two steps, a disturbance in the Force rushed through him. Quickly looking from side to side, he didn't see anything out of the ordinary. Moving a bit faster and cautiously, the Jedi reached the starfighter and placed his cases in the rear. As soon as he reached the ladder, he felt his entire body being flung fifty feet into the side of the Jedi Temple. While a huge crack lied in the wall, Obi-Wan pushed himself up from the ground and stared at what he saw. In the distance stood a huge, black-armored man. His shoulders were wider than that of any ordinary person, and his black cape went from his shoulders to barely touching the floor. His entire body was covered in black, with a blinking computer box attached to his chest. A black breastplate covered his chest and a thick belt wrapped around his waist. But what sent chills down Obi-Wan's neck was the mask. With a curved helmet on top of its head, the face was that of a skull. The tinted black eyepieces, Obi-Wan had now idea where the figure was looking. The cheeks of the mask sunk inward, with a mouthpiece sticking out. Out from the mouthpiece came a noise that would always stick in Obi-Wan's mind. The low, artificial breathing of the creature broke the silence. "Who are you?" Obi-Wan demanded, holding his lightsaber handle in his hand. The figure responded by reaching for his lightsaber and activating it. A crimson-colored blade shot up from handle to reach over a meter tall. The figure than swung the lightsaber in a brief display of red light. The move that the figure performed made Obi-Wan realize who was under the dark suit. "Anakin.Is that you?" The figure took a deep breath and stuck his chest out, only to let out a long exhale. He became a blur of black and red as he rushed to Obi- Wan, swinging the lightsaber as he ran. Obi-Wan responded by igniting his blue blade and bringing it in contact with the red one. The two met with a force Obi-Wan had never experienced before. The opponent's blow was so hard, Obi-Wan's blade came two inches from his face. The heat of lightsaber began burning the Jedi Master's forehead and he ducked under the blades and rolled to the side. The dark warrior was not finished and leaped at Obi-Wan swinging with all of his might. The two engaged themselves in a duel, that ranged in all of the moves Obi-Wan knew. The opponent always seemed to be a step ahead of the game. Stabbing and jabbing didn't seem to work, and Obi-Wan went into the defensive position. The stance didn't last very long as the dark warrior kicked him in the face, sending him falling back and losing his lightsaber. The lightsaber zipped straight into the waiting black-gloved hand. "What are you doing, Anakin?" Obi-Wan asked, lying on the ground. "Anakin is no loner my name, Obi-Wan," the figure answered in a deep and powerful voice. "Your former apprentice is dead, now only darkness survives in what is left of his body. I have been born into something you never could imagine possible. I am fear, I am darkness, I am hate, I am Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Sith! Master of terror, possessor of evil, executioner of the weak. And now you will bow to me!" "Never!" Obi-Wan responded, spitting at Vader's feet. "If that is your decision, you are free to go," Vader responded. "What?" "You will be the first, pathetic life form I will spare in cleansing the galaxy of the former Republic. We have entered a new era, my old master, and your kind is the disease. If I could have one wish, I would destroy you as we speak, but I must obey my master. You shall die a pathetic old hermit, Obi-Wan, never to show yourself again!" "And what if I do?" "Then you will have to suffer my power." Vader handed Obi-Wan's lightsaber to him, and the Jedi took it. Obi-Wan stood up slowly and walked in front of Vader. The Dark Lord stood much taller than him and spread his chest out wider. Staring at him directly in the face, Obi-Wan shook his head. "Then Anakin is truly dead," he said, turning from the dark warrior and proceeding to his ship. He jumped in and started the engine. As it roared to life, it was then that Obi-Wan remembered that it was Anakin's Jedi Starfighter. He had been using it ever since the battle of Nkllon. As soon as he realized this, he turned his head to where Vader was standing. The figure was gone, and Obi-Wan took off into the night sky, never to see Coruscant again.  
  
CHAPTER LXI  
  
Yoda rested his hands on Padme's stomach as she slept. It raised up and down, while the Jedi Master looked deep into it at the still unborn child. It was then that something reached his attention. What's this? Yoda realized. The midi-chlorian count is much too high in this child. Anakin didn't even have midi-chlorians this high. There's only one explanation. Tw- -. The Jedi Master's thoughts were cut off as Padme screamed in pain. "This is it!" she screamed. Dorme woke from her sleep and quickly prepared for the birth. While getting the herbs and medicines ready, Bail ran into the room. "What's happening?" he asked. "Coming the children are," Yoda said. Dorme stopped working and Padme still whimpered, but looked confused at Yoda. "Twins?!" Padme shouted. "I'm having twins?" Yoda nodded and Bail lowered his head in guilt. "Need you we do, Bail," Yoda said to the man standing at the cave opening. He walked to Padme and cleansed his hands in a clean bowl of water, while Dorme administered medicines and Yoda soothed Padme with the Force. C-3PO and R2-D2 entered the room with fresh firewood and clean water. Padme screamed at the pressure on her heart. Her disease had healed since she had been on Dagobah, but was not in terrific condition. "Give into the Force, Padme." Yoda whispered into her ear. "It's all around you. In the fire, the cave, the air. It's in you. Focus on it, don't let it leave you. Give into the Force." As soon as Padme found the Force, the crying of a baby broke her concentration. Tears rushed out of her eyes as she watched Bail hand the baby to Dorme, who set on a blanket and treated it with medical supplies from Alderaan. But as Padme realized that the baby was all right, she felt another movement in her abdomen. "I can feel the other one!" she shouted, while Yoda again began whispering into her ear. Another cry broke into the cave, as Bail handed the second baby to Dorme, who had finished cleaning the first one. "You did it, Padme." Bail said, displaying a big smile at the mother who lied in front of him. Padme smiled in return and nodded at Bail. She wiped the sweat from her face and placed her hand on Yoda's. The Jedi Master turned and smiled at her. "Thank you, Master," she said, with tears in her eyes. "Brave you are, Padme," Yoda said, rubbing his hand on her forehead. "You have brought the only hopes to save the galaxy into being." "Here you are," Dorme soothed, handing the two children into Padme's arms. Tears poured down her face as she looked at the faces of her children. They were both wrapped in cloth and remained with their eyes closed. "A son and a daughter," Dorme said, with Bail's arm wrapped around her shoulder. "A son." Padme trailed off, ".and a daughter." She continued to just look at them. "A son.Luke. And a daughter.Leia." Bail smiled at Dorme and gave her a kiss on the forehead. Yoda left Padme's side and walked out of the cave.  
  
Walking alongside the edge of a swamp, Yoda began realizing what must be done about the children. The Emperor doesn't know that they're twins. If no one else close to Padme knew, how could he know? Nonetheless, the twins couldn't live together, it would be too much of a risk if the Emperor found out about one of them. "Master Yoda?" a voice called from behind the Jedi. Bail jogged up next to Yoda and began walking with him. "Twins she was pregnant with," Yoda said. "Knew you did." Bail nodded. "Yes, I did. I found out before Obi-Wan and I realized of the storm troopers on Alderaan. The doctor pulled me aside and told me in case I didn't know. I lied and said I did. I realized, Master Yoda, that if anyone were to know of the twins, then it could be beaten out of them. I did what I thought was right." "Good that you did. For choices are made on instinct, not thought. Doing what one thinks is right at the time is better than not doing anything at all."  
  
CHAPTER LXII  
  
Obi-Wan landed on the same spot he had before, and it seemed as if Yoda and Bail had not moved at all. They stood in their same places, staring at Obi-Wan as he descended the cock-pit ladder and approached them. His face showed that something terrible had happened. "What is it?" Bail asked the approaching Jedi. "There is a new threat in the galaxy," Obi-Wan began. "I don't know how it happened, but Anakin is still alive." Yoda's eyes opened wide, and Bail took a step forward. "How?" Bail asked. "He now calls himself Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Sith," Obi-Wan continued. "He's been completely changed, physically and mentally. He wears a black suit. But this suit, it's.it's almost as if it's keeping him alive. His voice has changed and so has his physical build. But I know it's him. I just know." "Displeasing news this is," Yoda admitted. "If Anakin Skywalker and this Sith Lord are one in the same, then you would be the only person who would truly know. Turned to the Dark Side he has. More than I've ever seen anyone turn to, next to the Emperor. Dooku was just clouded, but true what you say, than our foes have increased." "What now?" Bail asked. "Break the heart of a mother."  
  
Padme was now clutching the children as tightly as she could. "Never! They're my children! You can't do this! Obi-Wan, help me!" Obi-Wan walked next to Bail and Yoda. "You must understand, Padme, that if the children live together, the risk increases if the Emperor finds out. Don't let your children fall down the same path Anakin did." "They won't!" Padme pleaded. "Let's live here! I can raise them." Obi-Wan sighed and stepped aside as Bail moved next to Padme. "Padme, I know this is hard, but if you were to raise Luke and Leia on this planet, their lives would be terrible. This is no place for children to live. They would become reckless and would never be able to leave. If they're separated, then they can live normal lives. Happy lives, without fearing someone is after them. You trust Obi-Wan, don't you? He's agreed to look after Luke, and we can take Leia to Alderaan. You can raise her to be a Senator. She'll be just like you. Wouldn't you rather they both live happy lives, then ones where they would live in a swamp, paranoid with fear?" Padme didn't answer at first, but looked at both of her children. "Let me just hold them for a little while longer." She kissed both of them on the head, and held the close to her chest. Bail left her side and moved with the two Jedi outside. Dorme sat where Bail and smiled as he left the cave. She couldn't believe that what he said was so wonderfully said. She turned back to Padme and pushed strands of hair out of her eyes.  
  
The Alderaanian Cruiser landed twenty feet from the entrance to the cave, crushing old, rotten trees underneath it. Bail opened the hatch and C- 3PO and R2-D2 pulled medical supplies in. Some luggage remained onboard, but didn't seem necessary to be brought into the cave. Bail hurried to the cave and grabbed one end of the bed Padme was lying on. Obi-Wan grabbed the other end and carried it onto the ship. Padme stayed in her own room on the ship this time. When they arrived on Alderaan the first time, she wanted to stay in the cock-pit. And when they arrived on Dagobah, they were in such a hurry that she was placed in the main room of the ship. But this time, her room had a large window and a more comfortable bed. As she lied in the bed, Obi-Wan entered the room, holding Luke. With her lip trembling she reached out for him, and he handed him to her. She brought him close to her and kissed him on the forehead. Tears rolled off her face and landed on his, stirring him a bit, letting a little noise. Padme smiled and whispered into his ear, "Look to the horizon, Luke. Never give up on your dreams." With one more kiss she handed him to Bail. "Goodbye, Padme," Obi-Wan said. She looked at him with tears in her eyes and pulled him into a hug and kissed him on the cheek. While still hugging him, Padme whispered, "Never let him leave your sight." Returning the hug, Obi-Wan whispered, "Alright." The two pulled away and Obi-Wan was handed Luke by Bail. He wrapped part of his robe around him and held him close. "The Force will always be with you, Padme," Obi-Wan said. "Goodbye, Obi-Wan," Padme responded. When Obi-Wan walked out of the room, Padme whispered under her breath, "Goodbye, Luke."  
  
Bail stood outside the ship with Obi-Wan and Yoda. While Obi-Wan placed Luke in a cushioned basket, Bail crouched down to be eye-to-eye with Yoda. "Thank you, Master Yoda," Bail said, placing his hand on his shoulder. "Without you the Force would be nothing." "Without the Force, I would be nothing," Yoda responded with a small smile on his face. Bail nodded and stood up to face Obi-Wan. After staring him straight in the eyes, he moved forward and hugged him. "Obi-Wan," he began, "thank you for everything." "You're welcome, Bail," Obi-Wan responded. "Be sure to give the two droids a memory erase, just in case they fall into the wrong hands. I'll send you an encrypted message in a few months to tell you where you can locate me in an emergency." "I understand," Bail confirmed, pulling away from the hug. He looked down at Luke and smiled. "Make us proud Luke." Glancing up at Obi-Wan he patted him on the shoulder and then turned away. After he made his way up the ramp, it slowly began to close. As it shut completely, Obi-Wan grabbed Luke, and he and Yoda stood back as the ship came alive. Resting in its spot for a few moments while Bail set calculations, it was soon off into the gray sky, disappearing in the fog and clouds that surrounded Dagobah.  
  
CHAPTER LXIII  
  
The Alderaanian Cruiser entered hyperspace about five minutes after leaving Dagobah. Bail was at the controls and eased off as the ship went on automatic. His eyes slowly closed and began to fall asleep. As soon as the door to the cock-pit opened, Bail's sleep ended and he jumped up as Dorme walked in. "Oh, I'm sorry," Dorme apologized. "I didn't mean to wake you up. I can go." "No, no," Bail responded. "You can stay. I just nodded off for a while." Dorme smiled and walked over to the co-pilot's chair. She sat down and looked at Bail, who returned the look. Both of them began talking at the same time, and broke away when they realized what they had done. Nervous laughter filled the small room, and Dorme started rubbing the lower lobe of her ear. "Please, what were you going to say?" Bail asked. "Oh, I was just saying what a wonderful job you've done with all that's gone on in the past few months." Bail smiled at the comment. "Would you like to continue this conversation elsewhere with me? I have some things to do." Dorme smiled and nodded.  
  
"Master Organa, I don't understand why I must be cleaned right now," C-3PO said. "I mean, wouldn't it be better if we waited until we reached Alderaan? I hear they have wonderf-" 3PO's voice cut off as soon as Bail pulled a lever. The protocol droid didn't say anything when he had three wires inserted into the top of their head and continued talking about nothing. Bail almost found pleasure when he cut the droid's talking off. Detaching the wires from the back of 3PO's neck, Bail turned to Dorme. "This droid has the biggest mouth of anyone I've ever met. And if he speaks to the wrong person about what he's seen, then all we've suffered for will be destroyed." "I understand, Bail," Dorme responded. "I just don't see what Artoo could tell anyone. I always liked him." "Well, how about we leave Threepio here for a while and go get something to eat?"  
  
The small kitchen in the bottom of the ship didn't have much food in it, but what was in the cupboards, the two ate. Laughing over experiences either had been through in life was the main thing they did. However, when the scarce amount of food disappeared and the stories died down, the became very vulnerable. "I have to ask you something," Bail broke the silence with the question. "Hmm?" Dorme responded by ripping her napkin into smaller and smaller pieces. "I know this isn't the right setting or anything, but." "Bail, what is it?" A few seconds passed before Bail broke the silence. "Will you marry me?" Tears poured down Dorme's face as she jumped up from her seat and was embraced in Bail's arms. The two kissed and held one another in the ship's kitchen, while Padme stood right outside the doorway holding Leia close to her. "Do you here that Leia?" she whispered to her daughter. "If something happens to me, you will have two people to look after you. But that won't be for a long time." She walked back to her bedroom, not letting her daughter leave her arms.  
  
CHAPTER LXIV  
  
The only surviving Jedi Masters in the galaxy sat in the dark, damp cave on Dagobah. The fire that had stayed lit for weeks was now a few glowing pieces of wood and ash. Obi-Wan kicked them with his foot and grabbed the basket with Luke inside of it and walked out of the cave. Reaching the Jedi Starfighter, Obi-Wan began to climb the ladder. "Obi-Wan, wait," a familiar voice called Obi-Wan. He turned to see Qui-Gon Jinn stand at the entrance to the cave. "We have much to discuss still." "I have nothing to discuss with you," Obi-Wan responded. "Anakin's dead. You got what you want, but now we have a Sith Lord and the Emperor running the galaxy. Is this what you wanted?" "Obi-Wan, you know I didn't want it to be this way," Qui-Gon corrected. "The prophecy says that the Chosen One will bring balance. And Anakin has fulfilled that prophecy." "But now there are two Jedi left in the galaxy against two Sith! That's balanced?" "Listen to Qui-Gon you must, Obi-Wan," Yoda said, walking out of the cave. "Never did he realize this would happen. Neither did I." "Masters, I let my best friend and apprentice die two weeks ago," Obi-Wan continued. "Do you know what he said to me before he died? He said 'I despise you, Obi-Wan. You've destroyed my life.' Is what he said supposed to go right through me? I failed at training him and failed at turning him to good. He's no longer who he used to be. Anakin Skywalker is dead." "If that's true, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon began, "then when young Luke grows, he is our only hope to destroy what has become of his father." "Even though Anakin's last words were for Luke not to know what he did?" Obi-Wan asked. "And who's supposed to train him? Me?" Qui-Gon looked at Yoda and the smaller Jedi answered, "Begin it, you will, Obi-Wan. And continue I will." Obi-Wan could hardly deal with all the information he was receiving. He looked down at Luke and watched as the baby yawned. "I know where to take Luke. I will say goodbye to both of you now." The Jedi Starfighter hatch opened and Obi-Wan set Luke in a safe area while he jumped into his seat. "May the Force be with you, Obi-Wan," Yoda called to the Jedi. "Meet again, we shall." Obi-Wan nodded to the Jedi Master and then looked at the spirit of Qui-Gon. "Remember, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon advised, "your relationship with Anakin was strong. Make the one with young Luke even stronger. Only then will your spirit be able to be present longer. For now, I will say goodbye and may the Force be with you, my friend." Qui-Gon bowed to his former apprentice and slowly disappeared. Yoda was left standing outside the cave by himself, leaning on his cane as Obi-Wan waved goodbye. The small creature watched as the Jedi Starfighter took off into the sky, carrying two people he would see again someday.  
  
EPILOGUE  
  
Coruscant had completely changed in the past week. Crime was even higher, more Senators had been assassinated, and the Emperor had an entire section of land near the Senate devoted to him. Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader stood in his new throne room, watching thousands of people cheering as a statue of the Emperor was placed at the end of the square. Floating cameras moved all around the crowd, projecting smiling people cheering, "PALPATINE!" The Emperor smiled to himself as the moment he had been waiting for his whole life was being experienced. People cheering his name, a galaxy to control, and his own, powerful Sith Lord. When he looked at Vader, he was surprised that the evil warrior wasn't looking at the crowds of people cheering, but at the stars in the sky.  
  
Alderaan was very calm that morning as Bail and Dorme held hands on their balcony. A wedding band rested on each of them, and the two smiled as they remembered that special day. Few people attended and Padme stayed in back, trying her best to remain unnoticed. Even though Bail returned to the Imperial Senate in a few days, he wanted to enjoy as much as he could with his new wife and Padme and her daughter, Leia. Bail left his wife standing on the balcony, staring off at the rising sun, while he went into their apartment. Turning a few corners of the enormous penthouse, Bail ran into C-3PO, who had been polished beyond belief and was now a shiny, golden color. R2-D2 was right next to 3PO as usual and the two directed Bail to what room Padme was in. When he reached it, he knocked on the closed door and entered. There lying on the bed was Padme, clutching Leia in her arms. At first Bail thought she was asleep, but upon feeling her freezing cold hand he realized he was wrong. He got down on his knees and kissed Padme's lifeless hand, while Leia remained asleep in her other arm.  
  
Tatooine was in afternoon as the twin suns were setting far off in the distance. Obi-Wan had spent the past week researching Anakin's past, and he had been led to one final place. The Lars Homestead was the same as it always had been, but it was all new to Obi-Wan. When he first arrived, he was poorly greeted by Owen Lars, but kindly by his wife, Beru. "You Jedi have no business stepping on this ground," Owen shot at Obi- Wan, who introduced himself as a Jedi Master. That was a big mistake to mention Jedi, since Owen's father, Cliegg, had been murdered by Tusken Raiders a year ago to the day. "What does that have to do with Jedi?" Obi-Wan asked. "One of your damn Jedi is the one responsible for killing an entire Tusken Village!" Owen continued. "He was my step-brother for crying out loud! His name was---" "Anakin Skywalker," Obi-Wan cut in. "Yeah." Owen pondered, rubbing the stubble on his cheeks and staring closely at Obi-Wan. "What do you have to do with Anakin?" "I was his master," Obi-Wan explained. "He died three weeks ago and this is in fact his son I have here. I am trusting you two to look after him for the time being." Obi-Wan set the bundled baby into Beru's arms. "Oh, he's beautiful," Beru confessed. "Owen, look at his eyes. There like Shmi's." Owen looked at Luke, and Obi-Wan caught a smile cross the stern man's face. "I appreciate this burden you two have accepted," Obi-Wan bowed to the two. "What did you say your name was?" Owen asked. "Kernovi? O-Ben Kernovi?" Obi-Wan almost chuckled at the confused man trying to pronounce his name, but realized that a false name would be a good idea. "Actually, you've almost got it. It's Ben Kenobi." "Oh, yeah," Owen mumbled, returning his staring to Luke. But as the two farmers stayed close on Luke, Ben Kenobi leaned forward and kissed the baby's forehead, whispering, "May the Force be with you, young one." Pulling away from the baby, he looked up and nodded to the couple. "And you two as well. I'll be close by, watching." Turning away, Ben began walking into the distance as the twin suns set straight in front of him. But before the Jedi Master got five feet, he stopped when he heard Owen yell, "I don't think so, Kenobi. There are already four tombstones over there and I don't won't there to be any dead bodies for Luke to see. We already know that the Emperor has sent bounties for Jedi in hiding, and we don't want to get mixed up in that. The name Skywalker is dead. Luke will be raised a Lars and that's final. This is it. The end of the Jedi. The end of the adventures. It's just the end. Accept it." Not feeling that situation was very funny, a small smile still stretched on one of the sides of Ben's face. Turning his back, he responded, "Far from it, I'm afraid. The galaxy has entered a dark era and young Luke might be the only one to save it. The name Skywalker is very powerful and I hope you two will let him keep the name. The boy will go far in galaxy, don't keep him sheltered. Nevertheless, if you keep him sheltered or not, I will always be close by for I have a bad feeling, my friends, that this is just the end of the beginning." Ben nodded one final time and proceeded walking towards the setting suns, not looking back as he was told not to during his early years of training Anakin. The boy broke it to him when Ben had awoken from a nightmare of Qui-Gon's death. My mother once told me to never look back. Don't look back, Master Kenobi. Don't ever look back. And those words would forever stay with him as he remembered Anakin Skywalker. They would stay as he remembered his apprentice. But most importantly, they would stay as he remembered his friend. 


End file.
